Baden-Baden, September 24, 2020: GRENKE AG, a global financing partner for small and medium-sized enterprises, has mandated Warth & Klein Grant Thornton, one of the leading auditing companies in Germany for medium-sized companies, for an independent audit. The reason behind this mandate is the review of takeovers of franchise companies by an independent auditor that was announced on September 21. The audit will cover, among others, the market conformity of the valuations, the advantageousness for GRENKE AG and the validation of the purchase agreements concluded, including the parties involved.

Information on the allegations of Viceroy Research are all now available together at the following website: www.grenke.com/shortattack