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 Monday October 8 2001
Laurus secures new funding
Laurus secured financial breathing space with new funding of up to Euros 250m including a loan convertible into ordinary shares, but analysts said the facility failed to address the company's most urgent problems. "It still has to solve serious problems in the Netherlands and Spain", said one analyst, referring to Laurus's heavy losses and organisational problems in Spain and logistics problems at home in the Netherlands.

Friday September 28 2001
Laurus shareholder Jelgersma considering legal action against unions
Laurus shareholder and supervisory board member Eric Albada Jelgersma is considering legal action against Dutch unions FNV Bondgenoten and CNV and Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad, a spokesman for Jelgersma said. In a statement, the unions accused Jelgersma of holding up necessary divestments at Laurus and having a conflict of interest in his dual position as shareholder and board member.

Tuesday September 4 2001
Net loss Laurus H1 2001
Laurus N.V. incurred losses during the first half of the year. The net loss for the period before extraordinary income and charges and goodwill amortisation was E 29 million (2000: E 34 million profit). The reasons for the loss were: Sales in the Netherlands were E 2,460 million (2000: E 2,431 million) and the gross operating result (gross margin) was E 425 million (2000: E 477 million).

Monday September 3 2001
Laurus half-year results press conference on 4 september cancelled
The presviously announced press conference on 4 September at which the half-year results for 2001 of Laurus were due to be presented has been cancelled. The cancellation is connected with the very recent (31-8-2001) board changes at Laurus. Laurus still plans to publish the half year-results before the start of trading in Amsterdam on 4 September 2001.

Friday August 31 2001
Laurus CEO Van der Straaten suspended; Konings named interim CEO
Laurus said it suspended with immediate effect chief executive and chairman Ole van der Straaten, in light of the "bad course of affairs" at the company. The company named Jan Konings, 59, as interim chief executive. Konings worked for Sara Lee Corp unit Sara Lee/DE from 1980-1995, serving as chief financial officer and board member from 1986.

Monday August 27 2001
First half year 2001 loss-making for Laurus
Supermarket group Laurus nv will not achieve its previously announced profit target for 2001 of EUR 75 mln (net result before amortisation of goodwill). The net result for the first half year has turned into a loss as compared with the result in the same period last year, due to: * disappointing turnover and lower gross margins, in both the Netherlands- in particular during the initial start-up phase of the new Konmar stores from 15 May 2001 onwards- and Spain: * delays in achieving the planned cost reductions through harmonisation of logistics, IT functions and financial administration (back office); * non-recurring and unforeseen expenses.

Thursday July 12 2001
Laurus sees EUR 100-200 mln lower costs on Konmar conversion - CEO
Laurus will spend EUR 100-200 mln less than expected on the conversion of the company's Dutch supermarkets to Konmar supermarkets, said chief executive Ole van der Straaten at a company news conference. "The costs will be a lot lower than the EUR 800 mln we were planning to invest", Van der Straaten said, due to lower conversion costs and lower costs associated with the logistics of the restructuring.

Friday July 6 2001
Laurus sees more info on Stuyts situation next week
Laurus expects to give more information next week on the situation surrounding its board member Peter Stuyts, a spokesman for the company said. Stuyts, responsible for the company's Dutch activities, has been on sick leave since June 25. Het Financieele Dagblad reported on Friday that Laurus gave Stuyts an ultimatum to either resign by 7.00 pm on Friday or face legal action from the company.

Thursday July 5 2001
Laurus board member Stuyts to step down amid investigation
Laurus board member Peter Stuyts, responsible for the company's Dutch operations, will step down as the company's chief executive launches an investigation into possible conflicts of interest on Stuyts' part, Het Financieele Dagblad reported, citing unnamed sources. Stuyts and his lawyer are currently negotiating a severance package with Laurus, the paper said.

Monday July 2 2001
Colruyt considering acquiring all of Laurus, rather than Super De Boer unit
Colruyt is now considering acquiring all of Laurus, rather than just its Super De Boer unit, following a reorganisation at Laurus, Colruyt chief financial officer Rene de Wit said. In January, Colruyt expressed interest in acquiring the Super De Boer supermarket chain, which is being incorporated in Laurus' Konmar formula.

Friday June 29 2001
Laurus freezes revamp plan
Laurus has halted its massive campaign to revamp its Konmar formula because the refitted stores are performing poorly. Meanwhile, the manager responsible for the project, Peter Stuijts, has been sick at home for the past week. In the original reorganisation, five of Laurus' supermarket chains were to be scrapped and replaced with the revamped Konmar format. In total, some 800 stores were to be refitted at a cost of EUR 800 mln by 2003.

Wednesday June 27 2001
Laurus to sell Pet's Place stores, most Mitra off-licenses
Laurus said it reached an agreement on the sale of its business units Pet's Place and the majority of its Mitra off-licenses which do not form part of its core activities. According to Laurus, the 177 Pet's Place stores will be sold to De IJsvogel Beheer BV, which will also take over about 25 Pet's Place employees.

Tuesday June 19 2001
Unigro sales up 15%
The new commercial strategy embarked upon by Unigro, the Spanish subsidiary of Laurus, the Dutch distribution group, has started to bear fruit. The company has announced that its sales have risen by over 15% in the areas where it has set up its El Arbol supermarket chain. The company plans to invest EUR 15.03 mln (Pta2.5bn) in opening these outlets. Unigro currently has 732 outlets in Spain and 9,000 employees. Its parent company Laurus recently approved a 48.08m (Pta8bn) capital increase.

Monday May 21 2001
Nutreco & Laurus complete acquisition meat-processing facilities
Following recent acquisitions in the poultry value chain, now a major step forward in the pork value chain. Nutreco Holding N.V. and Laurus N.V. have signed a final agreement relating to the acquisition by Nutreco of Laurus' central meat-processing facilities, for the processing and packaging of fresh meat for the Laurus Group.

Tuesday May 15 2001
Laurus CEO sees Spanish EL Arbol chain profitable by yr-end
Laurus expects its Spanish supermarket chain El Arbol to post a profit by the end of this year, said Laurus chief executive Ole van der Straaten. Laurus has no plans currently to sell the chain of 700 supermarkets, the CEO said. While the chain is doing better now than in January of this year, the chain still posts a loss, he said.

Monday March 5 2001
Laurus deems bid by Spar much too low
Laurus, the Dutch supermarket group, has rejected the bid by the Spar supermarket managers for their chain, Mr W. van Woerden announced on Saturday on behalf of the Spar management. According to Mr Van Woerden, Laurus said that the bid, which has not been disclosed, is too low. At the moment, the Spar management does not see a reason to raise the bid because it believes it made a realistic offer.

Wednesday February 28 2001
Laurus down sharply on FY results
Laurus shares were down sharply in morning trade after the company unexpectedly reported preliminary 2000 net profit before goodwill and extraordinaries of EUR 75 mln, down from a forecast just two months ago for a figure of EUR 88 mln. Net after tax, charges and goodwill was a loss of EUR 55 mln for 2000, the company said, adding it has no plans for a dividend this year.

Wednesday January 24 2001
Laurus presents new supermarket formula
Laurus, the Dutch supermarket group, presented its new Konmar supermarket formula in the Dutch town of Schiphol-Oost yesterday. In November 2000, Laurus decided to cut 7 of its 8 formulas. All Laurus supermarkets will be transformed to Konmar supermarket stores. The improved Konmar formula will focus on services to the customer.

Thursday January 11 2001
Laurus takes over Mitra off-licences
Laurus, the Dutch supermarket group, will become the full owner of Dutch off-licence chain Mitra's Wijn Etcetera. Laurus already owned a majority stake of 56% in Mitra. Dutch holding Kruidvat Beheer sold its 10% stake in Mitra's to Laurus because it wants to focus on drugstore and perfume store activities.

Tuesday January 9 2001
Nutreco and Laurus sign letter of intent
Nutreco Holding N.V. and Laurus N.V. have signed a letter of intent relating to the acquisition by Nutreco of Laurus' central meat-processing facilities, for the processing and packaging of fresh meat for the Laurus Group. The final agreement between Nutreco and Laurus is expected in the first quarter of 2001.

Friday December 8 2000
Laurus 'delighted' with customer survey
Supermarket group Laurus said it is "delighted" with the results, announced on Friday, of an independent survey of Dutch consumers' satisfaction with supermarkets. The survey names Laurus's Nieuwe Weme, Konmar and Groenwoudt supermarkets as the best three in the Netherlands. The Christmas report by GfK Panelservices Benelux shows that customers particularly appreciated the friendliness of the staff, the best fresh foods, the high quality and the wide range of products at the winning chains.

Monday November 20 2000
Laurus to adopt new Konmar formula
Laurus said it will adopt a new Konmar formula for all its Dutch supermarkets and sell other assets in a reorganization of its operations. The current six supermarket formulas will be bundled into one new format to be called Konmar. As part of the reorganization several formats will be sold, including Basismarkt, Spar and Pet's Place, as well as three butcheries and around 100 supermarkets which will not be converted to the new formula.

Laurus CEO sees Spanish opg profit down 50% this year
Ole van der Straaten, chief executive of Laurus, expects operating profit at the company's Spanish operations to fall 50% this year from 1999's EUR 28 mln. Speaking at a news conference on the company's restructuring plans, Van der Straaten attributed the decline to sharply lower results at its supermarket chain El Arbol in Spain.

Friday September 8 2000
Laurus might sell several units
Laurus might be planning to sell several of its store chains, according to media reports quoting sources close to the group. Laurus would be planning to sell Dutch discounter Basismarkt and be investigating the future of the group's operations in Belgium and Spain. Basismarkt has close to 200 outlets. Its turnover was down 6% in the first half of this year to EUR 172 mln. Basismarkt accounts for about 5% of Laurus' turnover.

Wednesday August 30 2000
Laurus H1 net profit down 24%
Laurus reported on Wednesday net profit for the first-half of 2000 dropped by 24% to EUR 37.0 mln, compared with net profit of EUR 48.6 mln the company booked in the comparible period of 1999. Turnover increased 15% from EUR 2,786.2 mln to EUR 3,195.0 mln. Operating income decreased 19% from EUR 80.3 mln to EUR 65.0 mln.

Tuesday August 29 2000
Laurus joins internet exchange
Laurus has joined the web-based business-to-business exchange Worldwide Retail Exchange (WWRE). The exchange aims to facilitate and simplify trading between retailers and suppliers, partners and distributors. In a separate statement, WWRE announced the appointment of Colin Dyer as its chief executive officer. Dyer joins the WWRE from clothing and fabric company Courtaulds Textiles, where he served most recently as the company's chief executive.

Wednesday July 5 2000
Laurus' acquisition of Groenwoudt goes ahead
The acquisition by Laurus of the Groenwoudt, Nieuwe Werne and Lekker & Laag supermarkets is going ahead. The Netherlands Competition Authority (NMa) has given its approval to the acquisition of Groenwoudt Group's supermarket division, wich will have retroactive effect from 1 January 2000. The acquisition will increase Laurus' share of the Dutch market by over three percentage points to around 27% and will add EUR 635 mln to annual turnover.

Friday May 12 2000
Laurus sees H1 net down 10%
Laurus said that it expects first-half net profit to fall 10% from the year-earlier period, including an extraordinary gain from the sale of non-core activities. Full-year net profit before amortisation of goodwill will increase by 10% with earnings per share rising 5%, the company said. At the annual results in March, the company forecast an average annual increase in EPS over the coming five years of 10%.

Wednesday March 22 2000
Laurus net profit up 16%
Laurus reported on Wednesday net profit for 1999 increased 16% to EUR 112 mln, compared with net profit of EUR 97 mln the company booked in the comparible period of 1998. Turnover increased 1% from EUR 5,523 mln to EUR 5,589 mln. Operating income increased 16% from EUR 159 mlnln to EUR 182 mln. Earnings per share for 1999 increased 15% to EUR 0.91, compared with earnings per share of EUR 0.79 for 1998.

Monday March 20 2000
Laurus sells Antoine Petit shops
Laurus said it agreed to sell its Antoine Petit BV coffee bar and gift shop chain to Albron BV. Antoine Petit has outlets in 50 hospitals and some DIY stores and has annual sales of NLG 45 mln. All 500 employees involved will go to Albron. Antoine Petit's results will be deconsolidated as of Jan 1, 2000, Laurus said. The acquisition will be filed with the Dutch competition authorities, Laurus said.

Friday February 25 2000
Laurus supermarkets join forces
Laurus announced on Friday that its full-service supermarkets of Konmar and Super De Boer are to cooperate more closely. The alliance will mainly affect the product range, logistics, automated systems and accounts, Laurus said. The closer cooperation is the result of the study announced in mid-1999 with the purpose of identifying potential synergies.

Wednesday February 16 2000
Laurus sees more benefit from merger
Laurus said on Wednesday that the 1998 merger of retailers Vendex Food and De Boer Unigro, which formed Laurus, is expected to generate more benefits in the future. A Laurus spokesman said that synergy from the merger should result in savings of more than the NLG 60 mln a year originally projected. Laurus is now awaiting approval from the Dutch competition authority NMa for its takeover of the Groenwoudt supermarket group.

Friday February 11 2000
Laurus appoints new board member
Laurus said that as of 1 june 2000, Ole van der Straaten (44) will join Laurus as a member of the Board of Management and of the Group Management Board. Mr. Van der Straaten has extensive experience, gained from a variety of management assignments. With effect from 1 November of this year he will succeed W.C.J. Angenent, who will then have reached retirement age, as Chairman of the Board of Management.

Friday December 17 1999
Laurus pays NLG 650 mln for Groenwoudt
Laurus announced on Friday that it has reached agreement to take over the supermarket division of Groenwoudt. Laurus will pay NLG 650 mln for the supermarket division. Analysts had expected a take over sum of between NLG 700 mln to NLG 1 bn. The acquisition will add some NLG 1.4 to Laurus' turnover, while the market share of Laurus in the Netherlands will increase to over 27%.

Thursday November 4 1999
Laurus takes over food unit
Supermarket group Laurus said on Thursday it was taking over the food retail activities of the Groenwoudt group in a move which will boost its Dutch market share from 24% to 27%. Laurus is targeting a 30% market share. The takeover of the 101 Groenwoudt stores will at NLG 1.3 bn to Laurus' turnover, which amounted to a pro-forma NLG 9.2 bn last year.

Tuesday October 12 1999
Jelgersma expands Laurus stake
Eric Albada Jelgersma, the major shareholder in supermarket group Laurus, has increased ints stake in the supermarket group by another 5% to about 33%. Jelgersma has increased its stake by exercising a package of warrants he received in 1997 during the merger of his supermarket company Unigro with De Boer Winkelbedrijven. Jelgersma paid EUR 7.62 per share, while Laurus closed at EUR 21.15 on the Amsterdam stock exchange on Tuesday.

Thursday September 9 1999
Laurus H1 net profit up 13%
Laurus reported on Thursday net profit for the first-half of 1999 increased 13% to NLG 107 mln, compared with net profit of NLG 95 mln the company booked in the comparible period of 1998. Turnover increased 4% from NLG 5,909 mln to NLG 6,140 mln. Operating income increased 13% from NLG 157 mln to NLG 177 mln.

Tuesday August 3 1999
Laurus acquires Spanish supermarket chain
Laurus announced on Tuesday that it has taken over Spanish supermarket chain Alindar through its Spanish subsidiary. Alindar, which is based in the province Almeria, has 20 outlets and 235 people. The chain has annual turnover of some NLG 65 mln. Laurus said that the outlets will be converted into its El Arol formula.

Monday July 5 1999
Laurus finalises sale of RSG
Laurus has finalised the sale of its Retail Service Groep (RSG) to Sligro, the company said on Monday. Laurus said that the merger between De Boer Unigro and Vendex Food Groep into Laurus prompted the move. RSG's food retail activities no longer fit in in Laurus' strategy.

Tuesday April 27 1999
Laurus expands further in Spain
Laurus has made new acquisitions in Spain, further strengthening its position as the market leader in Murcia. It has purchased Spanish companies Coloniales Pellicer and Unico for an undisclosed sum. Laurus said the purchase is expected to enhance its profit per share in the first year.

Friday April 2 1999
Laurus net profit up 11%
Laurus reported on Friday net profit for 1998 increased 11% to NLG 213.0 mln, compared with net profit of NLG 192.0 mln the company booked in the comparible period of 1997. Turnover increased 7% from NLG 11,422.0 mln to NLG 12,171.0 mln. Operating income increased 14% from NLG 304.0 mln to NLG 347.0 mln.

Monday March 29 1999
Laurus sells Retail Service
Laurus has reached agreement over the sale of its Retail Service Group (RSG) to Sligro which operates a number of supermarket formulas. RSG of Hoogeveen has the Milo and Antre 71 store chains, which are managed by independent operators. Laurus, which deconsolidated RSG from June 28, 1998, said the company no longer fits into its core operations.

Wednesday March 24 1999
Laurus sheds Belgian outlets
Laurus has decided to spin off 51 super discount outlets in Belgium in order to concentrate on the supermarket sector. Super discount shops limit their product assortment to about 1000 items, which are offered at rock-bottom prices. Laurus will develop its supermarket chains Battard/Echo and Spar, which together claim 4% of the market in Belgium.

Tuesday March 9 1999
Laurus buys Spanish supermarkets
Laurus announced on Tuesday that it has acquired Manuel Madrigal, a small supermarket chain in Muricia on the Spanish coast, for an undisclosed sum. The family-owned company has 13 outlets and annual turnover of NLG 40 mln. Laurus now market leader in the Murcia region with a share of 18%. Unigro Espana, laurus'Spanish subsidiary, currently operates more than 650 supermarkets and 60 cash-and-carry stores.

Tuesday March 2 1999
Super de Boer takes over Via stores
Supermarket group Laurus is to integrate the eight outlets operated by Via into the Super de Boer format. Via's head office will be closed down and its 18 employees will be offered work elsewhere in the company. The Via stores in Amersfoort and Tilburg may also disappear in the future. Via was set up in 1996 and has six convenience stores and two Dagmarkt supermarkets.

Friday February 5 1999
Laurus integrates distribution centres
Supermarketchain Laurus, the merger between Vendex Food Group and De Boer Unigro, has started the integration of its distribution centres. The company is to close its distribution centre in Blokker. Laurus expects to relocate the 75 employees involved in other distribution centres or units. Later this year Laurus is to close its distribution centre in Klundert and next-year in Drachten.

Tuesday January 26 1999
Laurus acquires 100 Spanish shops
Unigro Espana, the Spanish subsidiary of Laurus, has finalised the acquisition of 100 supermarkets of Disa. Disa booked 1998 turnover of over NLG 165 mln and employs 700 people. Unigro has acquired twelf supermaket chains during the past twelf months, generating combined turnover of over NLG 2.2 bn. Unigro Espana now has 640 supermarkets and 60 cash-and-carry shops, and employs 8,200 people.

Thursday December 31 1998
Laurus buys Spanish supermarket
Laurus has acquired the Almacenes Mary Mar supermarket chain of Spain through its Grupo Unigro subsidiary in Spain. Mary Mar booked sales of NLG 220 mln last year from its 60 supermarkets and 10 cash-and-carry retail outlets in southwest Spain. The stores' formula will be adapted to that of Laurus's El Arbol food stores which was developed by Grupo Unigro.

Monday December 7 1998
Laurus HQ to Den Bosch
Laurus, the new name for the merger of supermarket-chains of Vendex Food Groep and De Boer Unigro, is to open its head-quarters in Den Bosch. It is expected that the office will be taken in use in May of next year and that it will accommodate 140 people. Vendex Food's current head-quarters in Helmond will closed. De Boer Unigro's building in Amersfoort will remain in use as offices for Super De Boer and Spar.

Hebels Financial Website believes the information herein was obtained from reliable sources but does not guarantee its accuracy. Neither the information nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation of the purchase or sale of securities, derivatives or commodities. © 2002 Hebels Financial Website