Sika continues growth despite negative currency effects

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Sika Group posted net sales in 2008 of just over CHF 4.6 billion. The
growth rate in local currencies amounted to 7.3%, including an
acquisition effect of 1.4%. The negative currency exchange effect was
-6.2%. Net sales in Swiss francs are thereby 1.1% above the previous
year.

Sika continued growth in all regions, calculated in local currencies.
In the Region IMEA - India, Middle East, Africa - sales again grew
most strongly at 30.0%, followed by Latin America with growth of
24.5%. In North America Sika achieved growth of 7.0%. Region Europe
South yielded the lowest growth in local currencies at 0.9%.

Growth in the Construction Division was satisfactory in the reporting
year despite effects felt throughout the Group in the fourth quarter
from a regressive construction business cycle precipitated by the
crisis in housing and subsequently that in finance. In the Industry
Division, by contrast, sharply plummeting production figures in the
fourth quarter in vehicle construction led to stagnating sales for
the year overall.

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Change in net sales compared with previous year |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
| % | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total |
| | Quarter | Quarter | Quarter | Quarter | |
|-------------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+-------|
| in CHF | 3.1% | 4.1% | 3.9% | -6.5% | 1.1% |
|-------------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+-------|
| in local | 7.6% | 11.0% | 9.3% | 1.3% | 7.3% |
| currencies | | | | | |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

Sika expects for the fourth quarter that negative currency effects in
combination with higher raw material prices will also influence
profit margins to a limited extent. Detailed information on this and
the reporting year 2008 overall will be published on 24 February 2009
within the scope of the press conference on annual results.

-END-

Sika AG
Zugerstrasse 50
CH-6341 Baar, Switzerland
www.sika.com

Contact person: Rainer Weihofen,
Corporate Communications & Investor Relations
Tel.: +41 58 436 68 00
Fax: +41 58 436 68 50
weihofen.rainer@ch.sika.com

Sika AG Corporate Profile
Sika AG, located in Baar, Switzerland, is a global specialty
chemicals company supplying construction markets and manufacturing
industries (automotive, commercial vehicle, building component
manufacturing). Sika is a leader in processing materials used in
sealing, bonding, damping, reinforcing and protecting load-bearing
structures.
Sika's product lines feature high-quality concrete admixtures,
specialty mortars, sealants and adhesives, damping and reinforcing
materials, structural strengthening systems, industrial flooring as
well as roofing and waterproofing systems. Subsidiaries in more than
70 countries worldwide and approximately 11'700 employees link
customers to Sika and guarantee the success of all our business
relationships. Striving to deliver added value to all stakeholders,
Sika generates annual sales of CHF 4.6 billion. Visit our website at
www.sika.com.

The media release can be downloaded from the following link:

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Sika AG
Zugerstrasse 50 Baar

WKN: 858573; ISIN: CH0000587979;
Index: SMCI, SPI, SPIEX, SMIEXP, SMIM;
Listed: Main Market in SWX Swiss Exchange;
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