Leifheit Aktiengesellschaft: Annual General Meeting approves special dividend as well as capital increase from company funds

P R E S S R E L E A S E

Leifheit AG: Annual General Meeting approves special dividend as well as capital increase from company funds

- Ordinary dividend of EUR 2.10 plus a special dividend of EUR 0.80

- Bonus shares issued at a 1-to-1 ratio

- Dr Claus-O. Zacharias discharged with gratitude

Nassau/Frankfurt, 24 Mai 2017 - The Annual General Meeting of Leifheit AG once again approved a dividend increase today. Apart from an ordinary dividend of EUR 2.10 per no-par-value bearer share entitled to dividends, a special dividend of EUR 0.80 will be distributed for financial year 2016. The ordinary dividend stood at EUR 2.00 and the special dividend at EUR 0.75 in the previous year. The dividend for 2016 will likely be paid out on 29 May.

The Annual General Meeting also approved a capital increase from company funds in connection with the issuance of bonus shares at a 1-to-1 ratio. The objective of this measure is to boost liquidity and the attractiveness of the Leifheit share through the higher number of shares. To this end, the company's share capital, which stands at EUR 15 million, will be increased to EUR 30 million by converting retained earnings. The capital increase will take place by issuing 5,000,000 new shares (bonus shares) to shareholders at a 1-to-1 ratio. All shares are fully entitled to dividends for financial year 2017. The plan is expected to be carried out once the corresponding entry has been made in the commercial register, likely towards the end of the second quarter of 2017.

"The Leifheit share has seen very positive development in the past few months. Since the beginning of 2016, the share price has increased by more than 25%. Thanks to the approved capital increase, we will further enhance the share's fungibility and make it even more attractive to existing and new shareholders," said Dr Claus-O. Zacharias, outgoing Chief Financial Officer of Leifheit AG, who handed over the position to his successor Ivo Huhmann upon the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting.

"Dr Zacharias has had a very successful impact on Leifheit AG in his approximately eight and a half years. He managed to restructure the company during a difficult phase while establishing a platform for sustainable growth in a very organised manner at virtually the same time. This growth platform has enabled us to launch the 'Leifheit 2020' strategy and begin to systematically implement it step by step. I am particularly grateful for that," said Thomas Radke, Chairman of the Board of Management of Leifheit AG.

"Under the leadership of Dr Zacharias as Chief Financial Officer, the operating result has gone up from just over EUR 5 million to EUR 22.1 million most recently. The share price has increased more than tenfold during this time. The company, the Supervisory Board and the shareholders are greatly indebted to Dr Zacharias for this," said Helmut Zahn, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Leifheit AG.

The Annual General Meeting approved all agenda items with a large majority. Additional information about the Annual General Meeting can be found on our website at http://HV.leifheit-group.com.