Wienerberger expands brick business in Croatia

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- Acquisition of 25% stake in Croatian brick company IGM Ciglana
d.o.o. Petrinja
- Expansion and strengthening of market position in Croatia

Vienna, June 18, 2008 - Wienerberger AG, the world's largest producer
of bricks and the number two in clay roof tiles in Europe, is
expanding its activities in Croatia with the acquisition of a 25%
stake in the hollow brick producer IGM Ciglana d.o.o. Petrinja. In
addition, Wienerberger holds an option to acquire the remaining
shares. The Petrinja brick plant is located roughly 50 km south of
Zagreb. This facility was completely modernized in 2005 and now has
an annual production capacity of 110 million NF (= standard format
for bricks). In the past year, the plant generated revenues of
approximately ¤ 7,5 million with 58 employees. The closing for the
transaction took place on June 16, 2008. The parties have agreed not
to reveal any information on the purchase price.

Croatia: residential construction market with potential
With a market share of more than 85%, brick products are the most
popular wall construction material in Croatia. "The local residential
construction market has shown strong development in recent years, and
we expect further growth in 2008. Our forecasts indicate that
building permits in this region should increase roughly 5%",
explained Johann Windisch, member of the Managing Board of
Wienerberger AG with responsibility for Central-East Europe and North
America. "This latest transaction will broaden our regional coverage
and strengthen our market position in Croatia. It will also allow us
to increase exports to the neighboring country of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Our next step will involve investments at our existing hollow brick
plant in Karlovac and the subsequent market launch of planed ground
bricks, in order to meet the rising demand for high-quality building
materials in this region", added Windisch. The acquisition of this
25% stake in IGM Ciglana d.o.o. Petrinja is part of the bolt-on
program for 2008.

For additional information contact:
Karin Hofmann, Public Relations
T +43(1)60192-463 | communication@wienerberger.com

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Wienerberger AG
Wienerbergstraße 11 Vienna Austria

WKN: 83170;
ISIN: AT0000831706; Index: WBI, ATX , ATX Prime;
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