Weidmüller announces plans to acquire R. STAHL shares

Weidmüller has issued a public takeover offer for all shares of R. STAHL. The company has offered €47.50 for each share.

“The combination with R. STAHL would be an important step to offer a broader product range to our respective customers, thereby allowing us to position ourselves even better in the face of international competition,” said Dr Peter Köhler, Weidmüller CEO.

“Such international competition is particularly characterised by enormous worldwide demand in the automation and industrial production area. Company size is of crucial importance in this environment. Together, we will be able to offer better solutions to our customers at competitive prices.”

However, R. STAHL has refused to enter into discussions. The company released the following statement:

“Representatives of company Weidmüller already tried to talk to the family consortium as our principal shareholder. The family consortium refused entering into discussions.

“In the past, R. STAHL has been confronted with such inquiries from time to time. In all these cases, the family consortium always stood by the company in order to continue to maintain the company’s independence. We, the Executive Board, think that we will be able to continue the positive developments of the last decades and continue to lead the company in its present structure to a successful future. That is why we will go on concentrating on our core competencies.

“We currently have no details in regard to the takeover offer. We will express ourselves in the form prescribed by law as soon as we have received the concrete offer.”

The €47.50 offer price represents a premium of 47.9%. Weidmüller will submit the offer document to the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht) for approval. Once approved, the offer document will be published on www.weidmueller-angebot.de