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12 Dec 2005

Acquisition of Monroe Consulting Group Pty Ltd (Australia) and Monroe Consulting Group KK (Japan)

Empresaria Group plc

Acquisition of Monroe Consulting Group Pty Ltd (Australia) and Monroe Consulting Group KK (Japan)


Empresaria Group plc (“Empresaria” or “the Group”) is pleased to announce that on Friday 9th December it completed an investment of AUS$1.8m (£775k) in two connected businesses, Monroe Consulting Group Pty Ltd (“MCG”) and Monroe Consulting Group KK (“MCG KK”), acquiring a 60% shareholding in each company through the issue of new shares. The existing management team retains the remaining shareholding.

This transaction continues the expansion of Empresaria’s international operations. It extends the Group’s representation into three new countries, Australia, Thailand and Indonesia, as well as strengthening the Group’s existing presence in Japan.

MCG is based in Sydney, Australia and supplies IT, call centre, sales and marketing and accountancy and finance staff on both a temporary and permanent basis. The company also has operations in Thailand and Indonesia operating under joint venture arrangements and focusing primarily on the supply of call centre staff. MCG KK is a recent stand alone start up investment in Japan focussing currently on the provision of temporary staff to the Japanese call centre industry. MCG has 34 staff based in Sydney, 12 in Thailand and 9 in Indonesia. MCG KK operates with 7 staff in Tokyo. MCG and MCG KK generated cumulative revenue of AUS$ 10.75 (£4.3m) in the year ending 30 June 2005 up from AUS$7.3m (£3m) in the previous year.

An initial cash investment of AUS$1.8m is being made with AUS$1.2m being invested through the issue of new shares across both MCG and MCG KK and AUS$600k being provided by way of a loan. Of this sum AUS$750k will remain in the companies with the balance being used to repay outstanding loans. As part of the transaction Empresaria has also agreed to pay a further deferred cash sum of AUS$250k during the first quarter of 2006 which will further strengthen the balance sheets of each company and enable the management team to implement and finance growth plans in each of the markets in which it operates. Empresaria’s investment is being made out of existing cash resources.

Commenting on the acquisition, Miles Hunt, Chief Executive of Empresaria said:

“Monroe Consulting Group has an established operation and recognised brand in Australia and a management team who have demonstrated the ambition to expand into the emerging staffing markets of the Far East. The investment of working capital and access to development capital resulting from this transaction will better enable the Monroe management team to fulfil their growth ambitions. For Empresaria, this transaction represents further access to growing international staffing markets and marks another step in the path towards developing a balanced spread of international staffing operations. It also further demonstrates that the management equity philosophy and model, used successfully in the UK, has equal application in markets outside the UK. We are delighted that MCG and MCG KK are joining the Group.”

For further enquiries please contact:

Empresaria Group Plc 01293 649 900
Tony Martin (Chairman)
Miles Hunt (Chief Executive)
Nick Hall-Palmer (Finance Director)

Bridgewell Securities Limited 020 7003 3000
Nick Tulloch