Hawesko at the annual shareholders' meeting: Business development continues within expectations

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Hamburg, 15 June 2009. The wine-trading group Hawesko Holding AG
(HAW, HAWG.DE, DE0006042708) is continuing to post business
development which meets the expectations of its Board of Management
after five months in the current fiscal year (1 January-31 May). At
the company's annual general meeting of shareholders in Hamburg
today, chief executive Alexander Margaritoff reported that the
company's specialist retail (Jacques' Wein-Depot) and mail order
segments - the latter adjusted for the effect of the delivery of the
2005 Bordeaux vintage in the same period of the previous year - are
maintaining their course of business so far in the second quarter
slightly above that of the previous year. Both of these segments
focus on sales to end consumers. Thus the trend begun in the first
quarter of the year has carried on: While business in the wholesale
segment is characterised by a weak secondary market for Bordeaux
wines of older vintages and reticence in the restaurant and catering
sectors, business in the wine shops and in mail order is good.

As previously reported, Hawesko had posted a sales decline of 9.5 %
in the three months ended 31 March 2009 to ¤ 73.0 million. Although
the operating result (EBIT) of ¤ 3.1 million was below the previous
year's figure of ¤ 4.6 million, it was nonetheless the second-best
first-quarter result in the history of the company. Hawesko continues
to assume a decrease of full-year sales in the mid-single-digit
percentage range (group sales in 2008: ¤ 339 million). The company
cannot give a concrete forecast for the result in 2009; however, it
still expects it to be clearly positive - possibly even the
second-best in its history - as well as free cash flow significantly
in the positive range.

The annual meeting of shareholders took place again this year in a
harmonious atmosphere. The attending shareholders passed each
resolution proposed by management by a large majority, among others
the proposal to raise the dividend for the past 2008 fiscal year to ¤
1.20, from ¤ 1.00 in the previous year. The dividend is payable from
16 June 2009 and will be paid out of a tax-free equity reserve,
meaning that most private shareholders domiciled in Germany collect
it free of taxes.

Hawesko Holding AG is a leading supplier of premium wines and
champagnes. In fiscal year 2008 the Group achieved sales of ¤ 339
million through its three sales channels - specialist wine retail
(Jacques' Wein-Depot), wholesale (Wein Wolf and CWD Champagner- und
Wein- Distributionsgesellschaft) and mail order (in particular
Hanseatisches Wein- und Sekt-Kontor). The Group employs 614 people.
Hawesko Holding AG has been ranked as one of the top 6 German public
companies with the best market orientation in a 2009 study by the
international consultancy BBDO and the chair for innovative brand
management of Bremen University, the "Best Marketing Company Award".
The shares of Hawesko Holding AG are listed on the Hanseatic Stock
Exchange in Hamburg as well as in the prime standard segment of the
Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

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Published by:
Hawesko Holding AG, 20247 Hamburg

Internet:
http://www.hawesko.com (Company profile)
http://www.hawesko.de (Online shop)
http://www.jacques.de (Locations of and information about Jacques'
Wein-Depot)

Press/Media:
Vera Maria Bau, VMB Consulting
Phone: +49 (0)228 4496 406
Fax +49 (0)228 4496 9406
e-mail: vmb@veramariabau-pr.de

Investor Relations:
Thomas Hutchinson, Hawesko Holding AG
Phone: +49 (0)40 30 39 21 00
Fax +49 (0)40 30 39 21 05
e-mail: ir@hawesko.com

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HAWESKO Holding AG
Postfach 201552 Hamburg Germany

WKN: 604270;
ISIN: DE0006042708; Index: CDAX, Prime All Share, SDAX, CLASSIC All
Share, GEX;
Listed: Prime Standard in Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse, Freiverkehr in
Börse Berlin,
Freiverkehr in Bayerische Börse München, Freiverkehr in Börse
Düsseldorf,
Freiverkehr in Börse Stuttgart, Freiverkehr in Niedersächsische Börse
zu Hannover,
Regulierter Markt in Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse, Regulierter Markt
in Hanseatische Wertpapierbörse zu Hamburg;
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