FRACOTYP-POSTALIA ACQUIRES RICOH'S FRANKING MACHINE BUSINESS IN SWEDEN

FP Sverige AB, a subsidiary of the worldwide FP Group, has acquired Ricoh's franking machine business in Sweden. A contract of sale to this effect was signed with Ricoh Sverige AB, a subsidiary of Ricoh, a global leader in digital office solutions and production printing. Ricoh distributed franking machines exclusively in Sweden as a part of its local business and will continue to serve Swedish end customers to some extent.

With its newly formed FP Sverige AB, the FP Group now has ten sales companies of its own and is directly represented on all the major international markets. The Swedish franking machines market has a volume of some 51,000 machines. As a result of the transaction, the FP Group now has an installed base of around 10,000 machines in Sweden, corresponding to a market share of approximately 20%.

The Swedish Post is currently in the process of replacing the total installed base of franking machines with a new technology standard. The aim is to complete this task within a period of five years. 'This acquisition puts us in a position to exploit the good market opportunities in Sweden. Over the medium to long term we intend to increase our market share there,'

said Andreas Drechsler, a member of FP Group's Management Board.

With a total installed base of around 260,000 franking machines, the FP Group is the world's third largest supplier. The Company is market leader in both Germany and Austria, with a market share of 45% in each case.