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Press release - 1 June 2006

CapMan acquires Tamro MedLab from Tamro Group

Funds managed by CapMan and Tamro Corporation have signed a sales agreement for the transfer of the Tamro MedLab business unit from Tamro Group to the ownership of CapMan funds. It is expected that the transaction, which includes all of Tamro MedLab’s business, will be closed by July 2006. The parties will not publish the transaction price.

The transaction will be made for a new company, and it is subject to the approval of competition authorities. For the present Tamro MedLab’s business will continue under the former company name and the personnel’s employment will remain unchanged after the transaction. The company’s management will be offered shares in the company in future.  

Tamro MedLab sells markets and imports healthcare products, laboratory products, diagnostics and biotechnical products and equipment. In addition the company has its own product range OneMed. Tamro MedLab has operations in all Nordic countries as well as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The company’s two business units are Med, which specialises in healthcare supplies and equipment, and Lab, which specialises in laboratory supplies, diagnostics and equipment. Tamro MedLab’s turnover was EUR 133 million in 2005 and it has some 270 employees. The company’s customers are healthcare facilities and industrial, research and educational laboratories.  

”Tamro MedLab is a Nordic company that has been managed well and has a solid position in its chosen market areas. Growing healthcare markets and strong products make the company an attractive portfolio company for CapMan. Together with the company management, we will now further develop MedLab separately from the Tamro Group,” says Chairman of the Board of CapMan Ari Tolppanen, who will also become the Chairman of the Board of Tamro MedLab.  

”CapMan’s ownership will be positively visible for our employees, our principals and our clients,” says Jorma Turunen, CEO of Tamro MedLab. ”Our objective now is to invest in stronger growth in the Nordic countries and Baltic states.”  

”Tamro’s core business is pharmaceutical wholesales and in this area we plan to grow also in future. MedLab is a profitable company, whose business model differs significantly from our core business. We believe that under CapMan’s management MedLab will develop into an even stronger player in its sector,” states Jo Langmoen, CEO of Tamro Corporation.  

Press conference:
We would like to invite the media and analysts to a Finnish press conference today, 1 June 2006 at 1.00 p.m. in Ravintola Sipuli / cabinet Passat, address Kanavaranta 7, Helsinki. The press conference will be held together with Tamro Group, which will present its Q1 result at the same time. Chairman of the Board Ari Tolppanen and Senior Partner Markus Sjöholm from CapMan, Jo Langmoen, CEO of Tamro Corporation, Juha Koponen, CFO of Tamro Corporation and Jorma Turunen, CEO of Tamro MedLab will be present at the event. The presentation will be shown on CapMan’s Internet pages when the press conference has commenced.  

For further information, please contact:
Ari Tolppanen, Chairman of the Board, Senior Partner, CapMan Plc, tel. +358 9 6155 8340 or +358 500 407 343
Jorma Turunen, CEO, Tamro MedLab Oy, tel. +358 20 445 4048 or +358 400 459 448
Jo Langmoen, CEO, Tamro Corporation, tel. +358 20 445 4050

CapMan
CapMan is one of the leading private equity investors in the Nordic countries and specialises in middle market buyouts in various industry sectors, investments in expansion and later stage technology companies and investments in life science companies. In addition, CapMan manages private equity real estate funds. The CapMan team comprises around 100 people in Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo. CapMan manages Nordic funds with approx. EUR 2.3 billion in total capital. To date, the funds managed by CapMan have invested in 151 companies in the Nordic countries and exited from 86 companies. The latest investments are made in Finnish Flander Ltd, Danish ScanJour A/S, Swedish Spintop Netsolutions AB and Norwegian InfoCare ASA. The portfolio of CapMan’s first private equity real estate fund consists of 19 commercial properties in the Helsinki metropolitan area. CapMan Plc is listed on the Main List of the Helsinki Stock Exchange. www.capman.com  

Tamro MedLab Oy
Tamro MedLab sells, markets and imports a broad range of basic and specialised healthcare products, laboratory products, diagnostics and biotechnical products and equipment. Tamro MedLab has some 270 employees and the company’s turnover for the 2005/2006 financial year was EUR 133 million. The company operates in all of the Nordic countries and in the Baltic states. www.tamromedlab.com  

Tamro Group
Tamro Group is the leading pharmaceutical wholesaler and distributor in Northern Europe, and is a pharmaceutical retailer in Norway, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The Group operates in the Nordic countries, Baltic states, Poland and through a minority shareholding in Russia. Tamro’s average share of the pharmaceutical wholesaling market in Northern Europe is around 52%. Tamro is a subsidiary of the pan-European PHOENIX Group. Tamro’s net sales in 2005 totalled EUR 4.9 billion and the Group employs 4,900 people. www.tamro.com