EANS-News: Hoeft & Wessel achieved EUR 88 million in turnover in 2011

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Financial Figures/Balance Sheet

Subtitle: - Ticketing solutions account for half the volume of
business - Parking reflects stable trends - Sales of mobile terminals
at same level - Operating result substiantially in negative territory

Hannover/Germany, 30/03/2012. (euro adhoc) - Preliminary figures show
that in 2011, the Hoeft & Wessel Group recorded sales revenues down
by roughly 7 per cent year-on-year. More than half the turnover of
EUR 88.4 million was achieved with ticketing solutions for public
passenger transport last year. A quarter was attributable to each of
Parking and Mobile Solutions.

With a share of total sales equivalent to 42 per cent, Germany
remained the key business region, followed by the United Kingdom with
22 per cent and Switzerland with more than 10 per cent. Via partner
enterprises and subsidiaries, Hoeft & Wessel is also represented in
other western European countries as well as in the U.S. or South
Africa, for instance.

Lower sales revenues and higher project costs led to a reduction in
the operating result before depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) in
2011, to EUR 1.0 million (2010: EUR 8.0 million). The operating
result before special write-downs amounted to -EUR 3.3 million.
Regarding the revaluation of the Skeye segment, the non-recurring
write-down was specified at EUR 7.6 million, which meant that the
operating result (EBIT) for fiscal 2011 turned out substantially
negative at -EUR 10.9 million (2010: EUR 2.9 million). The
revaluation will create the preconditions in accounting terms for
improved business results in future.

Despite the negative result, the Hoeft & Wessel Group´s liquidity was
adequate. According to the preliminary figures, operating cash flow
was positive at EUR 0.6 million, even though it did not match the
good value of the previous year (2010: EUR 7.8 million).

In the field of ticketing systems of the Almex brand, Hoeft & Wessel
has developed into one of the leading providers in Europe. Despite a
decline in sales revenues to EUR 45.1 million in fiscal 2011 as a
whole, the Company perceives itself as being well positioned in this
business segment (2010: EUR 50.1 million). In the United Kingdom in
particular, it was possible to expand the good market position in
2011 with the award of a large-scale contract by the FirstGroup for a
completely new e-Ticketing system for buses. As part of this order,
as many as 800 on-board computers were already delivered and
installed last year. From end-2012, passengers in the United Kingdom
will then even be able to use their credit cards as tickets. This new
e-Ticketing solution based on NFC (Near-Field Communication) will be
realised in the UK for the first time and has already attracted
interest throughout Europe. In addition, it was possible to gain a
foothold in the market for stationary ticketing solutions in the
United Kingdom last year.

The DACH region, comprising Germany, Austria and Switzerland,
remained the strongest sales market for Hoeft & Wessel in 2011.
Amongst the most outstanding projects was the development mandate
awarded by the Swiss Federal Railways (Schweizerische Bundesbahnen)
for an innovative mobile communications solution for shunting and
construction operations based on the GSM-Rail communications
technology. In 2011, ticket vending machines were delivered to the
metro S-Bahn Berlin and to German Rail (Deutsche Bahn).

At the UK subsidiary Metric, a manufacturer of car park terminals
with international renown, sales revenues in 2011 declined to EUR
21.4 million (previous year: EUR 23.4 million). This was essentially
due to lower revenues in the key U.S. market and the weak exchange
rate of the pound sterling at the balance sheet date. In its home
market in the UK, Metric succeeded in winning most public tenders
last year, enabling it to consolidate its leading market position.
The market launch of a further developed car park terminal in 2011
was successful. The new terminal now offers all payment options, from
cash all the way through to contactless with credit cards. In 2011, a
new partner was found in South Africa, who has already ordered
terminals of the new type.

Business trends with mobile terminals of the Skeye brand proceeded on
the same level in 2011 as in the previous year. Sales revenues
generated came to EUR 21.9 million (previous year: EUR 22.1 million).
In regional terms, the primary focus was on the DACH area. In the
fields of retail and logistics, data capture devices were supplied to
customers like Rewe, Edeka and the Swiss Post (Schweizerische Post).

Hoeft & Wessel AG will be publishing its Annual Report for fiscal
2011 on 30 April 2012.

Press kit with photos:
http://www.presseportal.de/pm/12945/hoeft_wessel_ag/

The Company The Hoeft & Wessel Group is the leading IT and
engineering technology Group for ticketing, parking and mobile
solutions in Germany and Great Britain. Established in 1978 by the
two entrepreneurs who gave the company its name, the enterprise has
developed into a group of companies with sales revenues of approx.
EUR 90 million and a workforce of 500 employees. Its main locations
are Hannover, Germany, and Swindon, UK, to the west of London.

Further inquiry note:
Arnd Fritzemeier
Tel.: +49-511-6102-300
E-Mail: PR@hoeft-wessel.com

end of announcement euro adhoc
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company: Höft & Wessel AG
Rotenburger Str. 20
D-30659 Hannover
phone: +49-511-6102-0
FAX: +49-511-6102-411
mail: ir@hoeft-wessel.com
WWW: http://www.hoeft-wessel.com
sector: Technology
ISIN: DE0006011000
indexes: Prime All Share, Technology All Share
stockmarkets: free trade: Hannover, Berlin, München, Hamburg, Düsseldorf,
Stuttgart, regulated dealing/prime standard: Frankfurt
language: English