Third quarter returns Hawesko to growth

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- Continuing growth in end-customer sales
- Operating result (EBIT) remains the second best in company history
- Outlook for EBIT of at least ¤ 19 million for 2009 confirmed

Hamburg, 2 November 2009. The wine trading group Hawesko Holding AG
(HAW GR, HAWG.DE, DE0006042708) published its report on the first
nine months of 2009 as well as its results for the third quarter
today. In the quarter from 1 July to 30 September, Group sales
increased over the same quarter of the previous year (¤70.1 million)
by 7% to ¤ 75.0 million before sales taxes. Excluding the Swiss
wholesaler GlobalWine AG, which was acquired as of 1 July 2009, sales
rose by 5.4%. Development within the Group remains split in two:
robust in the business with end- consumers in the specialist retail
segment (Jacques' Wein-Depot) and in the mail order segment
(Hanseatisches Wein- und Sekt-Kontor), but sluggish in the wholesale
segment. Despite the acquisition of GlobalWine, the wholesale segment
posted a decline in sales of 3.6%. The almost complete standstill in
the secondary market for Bordeaux wines of older vintages, together
with consumer restraint of ultra-premium wines in general and of the
restaurant and catering industry in particular, had a strong impact
on wholesale business development. In contrast Jacques' Wein-Depot
increased its sales by 7.7% in the quarter under review (6.5% on a
like-for-like basis) compared to the previous year: special
advertising motivated previously inactive customers, which gave this
segment a boost. Against the background of the successful acquisition
of new customers and even more closely focussed advertising, sales in
the mail order segment rose by 27.4% compared to the third quarter of
2008. In the third quarter of 2009, consolidated earnings (EBIT)
amounted to ¤ 2.9 million, slightly up from the previous year's value
of ¤ 2.8 million. Consolidated earnings of ¤ 1.9 million after
deductions for taxes and minority interests rose by a considerably
higher percentage over the figure of the previous year (¤ 0.5
million; in the third quarter of 2008 the purchase of minority shares
had led to a non-recurring expenditure in the financial result).
Profit per share amounted to ¤ 0.21, up from ¤ 0.06 in the same
quarter of the previous year.

In the first nine months (January to September) 2009, sales of the
Hawesko Group were 3.8% lower than in the previous year:
¤ 218.8 million, down from ¤ 227.5 million. Without acquisitions the
decline would have been 4.3%. The operating result (EBIT) of Hawesko
Holding AG for the nine-month period amounted to ¤ 9.3 million and
remains the second-best result in company history (same period of the
previous year: ¤ 12.0 million). Consolidated earnings after
deductions for taxes and minority interests of ¤ 5.9 million came
very close to the previous year's figure of ¤ 6.1 million.

The management board had already taken the basic effect of the
outstanding previous year into account in its full-year planning and
notes that the figures for the current year 2009 are within
expectations. For fiscal year 2009 overall, the board assumes a
decline in sales in the medium single-digit percentage range (Group
sales in 2008: ¤ 339 million). As in every year, the business
development in the fourth quarter is crucial, as the Group generally
earns one third of sales and over half of the operating profit in the
last quarter of the fiscal year. The management board makes no
forecast for the 2009 result, but a distinctly positive result and a
clearly positive free cash flow for the year overall are expected.
With regard to EBIT, the Group still has a realistic possibility of
achieving the second-best result in its history, i.e. over ¤ 19
million.

Chief executive officer Alexander Margaritoff stated, "We are
continuing to invest vigorously in the acquisition of new customers,
have made progress in our internationalisation with the acquisition
of GlobalWine in Switzerland, and have won numerous awards for our
marketing. After the first two quarters with their very demanding
bases for comparison from the previous year we were able to post
growth again in the third quarter, and we are coming down the home
stretch to the crucial holiday season in good form. Even if the
fourth quarter should end up with a slight decline in sales overall,
we will be able to meet expectations for the full year."

Hawesko Holding AG is a leading supplier of premium wines and
champagnes. In fiscal year 2008 the Group achieved sales of ¤ 339
million through their 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.
In 2009, Hawesko Holding AG was named in a study by the international
management consultancy BBDO Consulting and the department for
innovative brand management of the University of Bremen, which was
the basis for the "Best Marketing Company Award" as one of the 6
German companies listed on the stock exchange with the best market
focus. 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.
# # #

The nine-month report for 2009 is available at http://www.hawesko.com
Investor Relations--> Financial Info --> Financial Reports.

Published by:
Hawesko Holding AG
Postfach
20247 Hamburg

Internet:
http://www.hawesko.com (Company profile)
http://www.hawesko.de (Online shop)
http://www.jacques.de (Jacques' Wein-Depot: Information and online
shop)
http://www.chateauclassic.com (online shop for outstanding Bordeaux
wines of older vintages)

Press/Media:
Vera Maria Bau,VMB Public Relations
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

--- End of Message ---

HAWESKO Holding AG
Postfach 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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