The Linde Group sells non-BOC gases activities in the UK to Air
Liquide
Wiesbaden/Munich, 8 March 2007 - The technology group The Linde Group
has sold Linde's non-BOC gases activities in the UK ("Linde Gas UK")
to the worldwide industrial and medical gases company Air Liquide at
an enterprise value of 105 million euro.
This divestiture was one of the antitrust conditions imposed by the
European Commission arising from the acquisition of The BOC Group plc
by Linde which became effective on 5 September 2006.
Linde Gas UK achieved sales of around 60 million euro in the 2006
financial year, and currently employs a staff of around 280.
Linde and Air Liquide expect the transaction to be completed in due
course, subject to clearance from the competition authorities and the
fulfilment of certain other closing conditions.
The Linde Group is a world leading industrial gases and engineering
company with more than 53,000 employees working in around 70
countries worldwide. Following the acquisition of The BOC Group, the
company has gases and engineering sales of approximately 12 billion
euro. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards
earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its
international business with forward-looking products and services.
For more information, please see The Linde Group online at
http://www.linde.com.
For further information:
Press
Uwe Wolfinger
Telephone: +49.89.35757-1320
Investor Relations
Thomas Eisenlohr
Telephone: +49.89.35757-1330
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Linde AG: Abraham-Lincoln-Str. 21 Wiesbaden Germany
WKN: 648300;
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Bayerische Börse München,
Amtlicher Markt in Börse Berlin Bremen, Amtlicher Markt in Börse
Düsseldorf,
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Börse zu Hannover;
