CALIDA GROUP press release
ad hoc announcement pursuant to article 53 LR
Sursee (Switzerland), 7 August 2024
 

• Bulk of the proceeds from the sale of LAFUMA MOBILIER will be used to buy back company shares 
• Public buyback offer at a fixed price for a maximum of 9.8218% of the share capital enables shareholder-friendly increase in earnings per share by means of share cancellation 
• Second share buyback of almost 10% following the capital reduction allows further reduction in the Kellenberger family's shareholding 
• Founding family Kellenberger plans long-term commitment as shareholder
   

The Board of Directors has decided to use the bulk of the proceeds of the sale of LAFUMA MOBILIER to buy back company shares and thereby reduce excess liquidity. To this end, the Calida Holding AG is making a public buyback offer to all shareholders for up to 9.8218% of the share capital entered in the commercial register (corresponding to a maximum of 829,061 shares), at the fixed price of CHF 28.50, gross, per registered share. The buyback programme is expected to run from 8 to 22 August 2024, ending at 12:00 p.m. CEST. The shares repurchased by the CALIDA GROUP will then be cancelled as part of a reduction in share capital within the range of the capital band. This will yield a corresponding increase in earnings per share for the benefit of all shareholders. The proceeds from the share buyback programme are subject to withholding tax (see share repurchase offer for details). A member of the founding Kellenberger family has committed to the CALIDA GROUP to sell shares under the public share repurchase programme corresponding to at least 7% of share capital.

The CALIDA GROUP has commissioned Zürcher Kantonalbank with the implementation. For further information on the fixed-price share repurchase programme, see the official repurchase offer at https://www.calidagroup.com/en/investors/#share-buyback.

On the other hand, the CALIDA GROUP has reached an agreement with the other members of the Kellenberger family, the anchor shareholder, to buy back shares corresponding to 9.99% of share capital (upon completion of the reduction in share capital) at the reduced price of CHF 27.90 per share vis-a-vis the fixed price offered under the public repurchase programme (which corresponds to a discount of 8.49% to the volume-weighted average price of the stock exchange trades of the last 60 trading days of CHF 30.49). After completion of the public repurchase programme and the reduction in share capital, and upon conclusion of the repurchase agreement, the stake of the Kellenberger family will be reduced to about 18-22% in total. The shares acquired under this non-public repurchase will be retained as treasury shares for the CALIDA GROUP to use in future options. At the same time, the free float of CALIDA GROUP shares will be increased. Through this significant stake, the Kellenberger family will remain invested in the CALIDA GROUP for the long term. The share buybacks programmes overall will benefit shareholders by increasing earnings per share by at least 10% and at the same time by increasing in the free float to around 80%.

Felix Sulzberger, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of the CALIDA GROUP, comments: “The proceeds from the sale of LAFUMA MOBILIER will enable us to stabilize our shareholder base. We are very pleased with the Kellenberger family's long-term commitment to the CALIDA GROUP. Our existing shareholders will benefit from an increase in earnings per share. Thanks to this prudent solution, the success story of the CALIDA GROUP as an independent listed company can continue.”

Allan Kellenberger, representative of the Kellenberger family on the Board of Directors of the CALIDA GROUP, comments: “We are delighted to have found a sustainable solution together with the CALIDA GROUP for the benefit of all stakeholders. Our family will continue to support the development of the Group with a reduced shareholding, thereby stabilizing the shareholder base. As a family, we consider the Group's focus on its traditional core business to be a solid basis for the continued successful development of the CALIDA GROUP.”

For further information, please contact: 
Calida Holding AG 
Dave Müller, CFO
Phone: +41 41 925 43 20
investor.relations@calidagroup.com

Jürg Stähelin, IRF
Phone: +41 43 244 81 51
staehelin@irf-reputation.ch

The CALIDA GROUP is a globally active company for premium underwear with its head office in Switzerland. It consists of the brands CALIDA, AUBADE and COSABELLA in the underwear and lingerie segment. The CALIDA GROUP stands for high-quality products that delight consumers every day. In the first half of 2024, the Group generated sales of over CHF 111 million with almost 2,400 employees. The registered shares of Calida Holding AG (CALN) are traded on SIX Swiss Exchange AG.