EANS-Adhoc: BENE AG / BENE AG Annual General Meeting

DJ EANS-Adhoc: BENE AG / BENE AG Annual General Meeting

ad-hoc disclosure transmitted by euro adhoc with the aim of a Europe-wide distribution. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

09.06.2011 * Thomas Bene takes a step toward independence and founds his own marketing and design studio * All open items are approved with a majority vote Vienna/Waidhofen an der Ybbs, 9 June 2011. At today´s 7th Annual General Meeting in Waidhofen/Ybbs of the Bene Group (listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange), Thomas Bene, Member of the Management Board responsible for Marketing and Portfolio, informed shareholders that he would resign from his post, effective 31 July 2011. Bene explained his decision as a desire to pursue new challenges after having worked in the Bene Group in a leading role for over 17 years. As of 1 August 2011, Frank Wiegmann and Wolfgang Neubert will make up the Board of Management of the Austrian office furniture manufacturer. They will stand on equal footing: Wolfgang Neubert will be responsible for Sales and Marketing, and Frank Wiegmann will continue to head Technology, Finances and Human Resources. Thomas Bene is founding a brand and design studio that enables cross-industry access to what Thomas Bene stands for: bringing together stimuli from broadly different creative areas to shape the appearance of corporate culture. The spectrum will range from classic agency services, such as consultancy, marketing and brand development, to establishing a platform for design, interior design and architecture. Thomas Bene is relying above all on his talent at detecting upcoming trends early on and finding creative partners who can develop and implement forward-looking ideas. The Supervisory Board accepted his decision. "Thomas Bene has made a major contribution to the Bene Group´s successful brand and product strategy", said Manfred Bene, Chairman of the Supervisory Board. He also said, "Numerous innovations, such as the introduction of the PARCS product group, which enabled Bene to enter the communicative and upholstered furniture market, were based on Thomas Bene´s creativity and dedication. We don´t want to, nor can we, do without his comprehensive expertise, which is why we will come to an agreement with him that ensures us long-term exclusivity in the office furniture industry." All open items are approved with a majority vote At today´s Bene AG Annual General Meeting, 46 shareholders (through direct or indirect voting representatives) participated, representing a total of 11.015.296 registered shares. The present shareholders approved all open items with a majority vote. Andrea Gaal, whose term of office ends 2013/14, was newly elected to the Supervisory Board. This new Supervisory Board member´s CV is available at http://www.bene.com >> Investor Relations. About Bene. Bene is convinced that there is a clear connection between the design of office and work environments, company culture and the success of a company. Bene´s concepts, products and services turn this philosophy into reality. Development, design and production as well as consulting and sales are united under one roof. With 82 branches in 35 countries and 1,271 employees worldwide, Bene offers its customers regional access to all of its services. In the business year 2010/11, consolidated sales of the Bene Group amounted to EUR 170.8 million. Bene is the market leader in Austria and number five in Europe. end of announcement euro adhoc

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 09, 2011 09:41 ET (13:41 GMT)