Press release

Mannheim, February 28, 2024

Südzucker AG successfully completes delisting tender offer

• Stake of Südzucker AG in CropEnergies AG increased to 94.2 percent as of today
• Listing of CropEnergies AG on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange expires at the end of February 28, 2024

Südzucker AG (”Südzucker”) announced on February 21, 2024, the results of the public delisting tender offer in connection with the delisting of CropEnergies AG (“CropEnergies”). During the acceptance period, which ended on February 16, 2024, 9,191,764 CropEnergies shares were tendered into the offer. This corresponds to approximately 10.5 percent of all outstanding CropEnergies shares. Including the CropEnergies shares acquired by Südzucker outside of the delisting tender offer, Südzucker’s shareholding in CropEnergies has increased (from around 69.2 percent) to around 94.2 percent as of today.

The listing of CropEnergies on the regulated market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange will expire at the end of February 28, 2024, as announced by the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on February 23, 2024.

Dr Niels Pörksen, CEO of Südzucker, comments: “We are delighted that we were able to increase our shareholding in CropEnergies significantly following the successful conclusion of our attractive offer. We consider this to be a strong endorsement of the CropEnergies shareholders’ trust in the Südzucker Group which now presents itself with a clear capital market profile. We will use the freedom gained to implement our growth strategy.”

Important notice

This announcement is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell shares of CropEnergies AG nor an offer or recommendation to purchase shares of Südzucker AG.

The delisting tender offer has been published exclusively under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, in particular in accordance with the German Securities Acquisition and Takeover Act (Wertpapiererwerbs- und Übernahmegesetz, “WpÜG”) and the German Stock Exchange Act (Börsengesetz), as well as certain applicable provisions of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act. The offer document and further documentation relating to the delisting tender offer is available at -offer.com. Any contract concluded on the basis of the delisting tender offer is exclusively governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany and is to be interpreted in accordance with such laws.

To the extent permissible under applicable law or regulation, and in accordance with German market practice, Südzucker AG, its affiliates or its brokers may have purchased or concluded agreements to purchase, or may purchase or conclude agreements to purchase, on the stock exchange or over the counter, directly or indirectly, shares of CropEnergies AG outside of the scope of the delisting tender offer, during or after the period in which the offer remained open for acceptance. This also applies to other securities which are directly convertible into, exchangeable for, or exercisable for shares of CropEnergies AG. These purchases may have been or may be completed via the stock exchange at market prices or outside the stock exchange at negotiated conditions. Information on such purchases or purchase agreements, stating the number of CropEnergies shares acquired or to be acquired and the consideration granted or agreed, have been or will be published in accordance with the applicable statutory provisions, in particular section 23(2) WpÜG, in the German Federal Gazette and, if required by foreign legal systems, in English via an electronic dissemination system. Corresponding information is also available in the form of an English translation on the internet at -offer.com.

Südzucker AG

Maximilianstraße 10

68165 Mannheim, Germany

Financial press:

Dr Dominik Risser

Phone:  

Investor Relations:

Nikolai Baltruschat

Phone:

About the Südzucker Group

Südzucker is a major player in the food industry with its sugar, special products, starch and fruit segments, and Europe's leading ethanol producer with its CropEnergies segment.

In the traditional sugar business, the group is Europe’s number one supplier of sugar products, with 23 sugar factories and two refineries, extending from France in the west via Belgium, Germany and Austria, through to Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, Bosnia, and Moldova in the east. The special products segment, with its consumer-oriented functional ingredients for food and animal feed (BENEO), chilled/frozen products (Freiberger) and portion packs (PortionPack Group), operates in dynamic growth markets. Südzucker's CropEnergies segment is Europe's leading producer of renewable ethanol, with production sites in Germany, Belgium, France and Great Britain. Other products in this segment are protein food and animal feed products as well as biogenic carbon dioxide. The starch segment comprises AGRANA's starch and ethanol activities. The group’s fruit segment operates globally, is the world market leader for fruit preparations and is a leading supplier of fruit juice concentrates in Europe.

In 2022/23, the group employed about 18.300 persons and generated revenues of about EUR 9.5 billion.