A.S. Création Tapeten AG / Key word(s): Legal Matter 23.12.2014 10:30 Dissemination of an Ad hoc announcement according to § 15 WpHG, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Following on from the search of the offices in November 2010 and the opening of administrative offence proceedings in July 2013, the French Cartel Office ("Autorité de la concurrence") has now issued a penalty notice against SCE - Société de conception et d'édition SAS ("SCE") and MCF Investissement SAS ("MCF"), two members of the A.S. Création Group. Both companies received the penalty notice on December 22, 2014. The French cartel office alleges that the companies have engaged in an information exchange in the years from 2006 and 2010 which it considers to constitute a violation of anti-trust law. The penalties issued against SCE and MCF amount to a total of EUR 5.0 million. As A.S. Création hadn't acquired the majority of the shares in the two French companies before December 2008, the former majority shareholder, the French Décoralis SA, is still jointly and severally liable for the penalties. The companies involved are currently analysing the decision and are assessing their procedural options. Irrespective of the companies' decision, an appeal against a penalty notice does not have a suspensive effect under French law, meaning that the penalties will definitely have to be paid swiftly after receipt of the request to pay. As reported earlier, Germany's Federal Cartel Office has maintained only two of its originally five allegations and these two allegations could potentially result in penalties worth EUR 10.5 million being imposed on A.S. Création and company executives (for details please refer to the ad-hoc announcements of February 25, 2014 and December 1, 2014). Now the maximum penalty amount payable in France has also been established. In respect of the risks arising from the administrative offence proceedings in Germany, A.S. Création has so far, as a precautionary measure, established a provision of EUR 2.0 million in its consolidated financial statements. Management will now examine to what extent there may be a need to establish an additional provision for the French penalties in the consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year 2014. Gummersbach, December 23, 2014 A.S. Création Tapeten AG The Managing Board Contact: Maik Krämer Director of Finance and Controlling Südstr. 47 D-51645 Gummersbach Telefon + 49 - (0)22 61/542-387 Fax + 49 - (0)22 61/542-304 E-Mail: m.kraemer@as-creation.de 23.12.2014 The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: A.S. Création Tapeten AG SüdstraÃe 47 51645 Gummersbach Germany Phone: +49 22 61 54 2-0 Fax: +49 22 61 54 2-3 04 E-mail: investor@as-creation.de Internet: http://www.as-creation.de ISIN: DE000A1TNNN5 WKN: A1TNNN Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, München, Stuttgart End of Announcement DGAP News-Service ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
DGAP-Adhoc: A.S. Création Tapeten AG: French Cartel Office issued penalty notice
| Source: EQS Group AG