09.05.2016 – 07:07

HOCHDORF Holding AG

EQS-Adhoc: HOCHDORF Holding Ltd: HOCHDORF drives growth strategy forward

EQS Group-Ad-hoc: HOCHDORF Holding AG / Key word(s): AGM/EGM
HOCHDORF Holding Ltd: HOCHDORF drives growth strategy forward

09.05.2016 / 07:00
Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 KR.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

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Press release for the HOCHDORF Group AGM on 6 May 2016

HOCHDORF drives growth strategy forward

Hochdorf, 9 May 2016 -The 345 shareholders attending the Annual General Meeting
for HOCHDORF Holding Ltd approved all the proposals submitted by the Board of
Directors. The dividend proposal of CHF 3.70 from capital investment reserves
was therefore accepted. HOCHDORF also announced the construction of a new spray
tower line for the production of infant formula in Sulgen.

The AGM was led by Josef Leu, Chairman of the Board of Directors of HOCHDORF
Holding Ltd, with 345 shareholders in attendance with a total of 641,378 votes
(70.89 per cent of the votes).

All proposals submitted by the Board of Directors were approved by the
shareholders. These included approval of the Annual Report for 2015, the Group
accounts and the annual accounts for HOCHDORF Holding Ltd as of 31 December
2015, along with full support for the members of the Board of Directors and the
senior management team.

Constant dividends
The shareholders also approved the proposal to maintain the dividend payment of
CHF 3.70 per registered share from capital reserves. This is tax free for
natural persons resident in Switzerland. The dividend is to be paid out on 12
May 2016.

Changes to the Board of Directors
Prior to the election of the Board of Directors, Josef Leu, Chairman of the
Board of Directors, bade farewell to long-time board member Urs Renggli. The
shareholders subsequently confirmed the appointment of all the board members
standing for re-election. Dr Daniel Suter was elected to the Board of Directors
to replace Urs Renggli. Josef Leu was re-elected as Chairman of the Board of
Directors. The shareholders elected Dr Anton von Weissenfluh, Josef Leu and
Niklaus Sauter onto the personnel and remuneration committee.

Dr Urban Bieri was elected as independent proxy for the period up to and
including the date of the Annual General Meeting in 2017. The AGM confirmed
Ernst & Young Ltd, Lucerne as the auditing agency for the same period.

Conditional capital increase request withdrawn
The conditional capital increase requested by the Board of Directors was
withdrawn at the start of the Annual General Meeting. The agenda item was
withdrawn on the basis of further analysis carried out since the agenda had been
drawn up. "The withdrawal of this agenda item provides us with greater scope for
action in our financing approach. One new option would be, for example, the
approved capital increase," explained Josef Leu. The Chairman of the Board of
Directors said the group had chosen the right path, which it hoped would lead to
the successful implementation of forward integration. Implementing a transaction
may also require the voting restriction currently in place to be raised from its
current 5%, according to Dr Thomas Eisenring, CEO.

Forward integration and capacity extension
Dr Thomas Eisenring outlined the strategy for 2016 to 2020. The focus is on
forward integration, to be pursued on two levels - product level and business
model level. "By product-driven forward integration, we mean extending the range
with products from the next processing level. On the level of
business-model-driven forward integration, we are working towards integrating an
existing company that is already successfully selling our products on the
market," explained the HOCHDORF CEO. "Our aim is to substantially increase the
HOCHDORF Group's profitability," said Dr Eisenring.

The Assembly welcomed the adaptation of the agenda, the actions of the Board of
Directors and the HOCHDORF Group strategy explicitly.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors, Josef Leu, informed the AGM that
capacity for producing infant formula at the Sulgen plant is to be increased.
"The demand for Swiss-made infant formula is great and we want to meet this
demand with the new spray tower line," said Josef Leu, explaining the investment
decision. Over the next few years, the HOCHDORF Group is investing over CHF 80
million in Sulgen. The money will be spent on extending production and filling
capacities for infant formula, as well as in warehouse logistics. This will
create 65 new jobs for a 4-shift operation.

A good start to 2016
The HOCHDORF Group's CEO is pleased with the start to the 2016 business year.
The production plants maintained excellent capacity levels in the first three
months of the year. The amount of milk processed in Switzerland was around ten
per cent higher than in the previous year. Despite difficult conditions on the
international market, the aim is still to achieve the turnover objective of CHF
560 to 600 million and an EBIT prognosis of 3.8% to 4.0% in comparison to the
production revenue.

End of ad hoc announcement

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Additional features:

Document:http://n.eqs.com/c/fncls.ssp?u=GRFSKWYQKR
Document title: Press release for the HOCHDORF Group AGM 2016

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09.05.2016 News transmitted by EQS Schweiz AG. www.eqs.com - news archive:
http://switzerland.eqs.com/de/News

The issuer is responsible for the contents of the release.
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Information and Explanation of the Issuer to this News:


In 2015 the HOCHDORF Group, which is headquartered in Hochdorf, generated a
consolidated gross sales revenue of CHF 551.2 million. It is one of the leading
foodstuff companies in Switzerland, with more than 625 employees as at 31
December 2015. Made from such natural ingredients as milk, wheat germ, and
oilseeds, HOCHDORF products have been contributing to the health and well-being
of the young and old alike since 1895. Our customers include the food industry
and wholesalers and retailers. Our products are sold in more than 90 countries.
HOCHDORF stock is traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange in Zurich (ISIN
CH0024666528).


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Language: English

Company:  HOCHDORF Holding AG

          Siedereistrasse 9

          6281  Hochdorf

          Switzerland

Phone:    +41 41 914 65 65

Fax:      +41 41 914 66 66

E-mail:    hochdorf@hochdorf.com

Internet: www.hochdorf.com

ISIN:     CH0024666528

Listed:   Foreign Exchange(s) SIX


End of News EQS Group News Service
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