• 79.5% of share capital represented at meeting
  • All Agenda Items adopted by a large majority
  • Dividend for the 2017 fiscal year increases from EUR 0.58 to EUR 0.70 per share
  • Wolfgang Grenke newly elected to the Supervisory Board

Baden-Baden, May 3, 2018: At today's Annual General Meeting of GRENKE AG, all Agenda Items for resolution were adopted by a large majority. Against the backdrop of the successful 2017 fiscal year, the shareholders present also supported the proposal for the appropriation of profits. Accordingly, the Annual General Meeting resolved to increase the dividend from EUR 0.58 in the previous year to EUR 0.70 per share. In doing so, the Company adhered to its dividend continuity of the past years by increasing its dividend for the eighth consecutive year. The remaining unappropriated surplus will be carried forward and provides the Company with additional equity to support its further growth.

The members of the Board of Directors and Supervisory Board were discharged for the 2017 fiscal year, and KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft was appointed as the auditor for the current fiscal year.

The end of the Annual General Meeting also marked the end of the terms of office of Supervisory Board members Prof Dr Ernst-Moritz Lipp (chair) and Gerhard E. Witt, who retired from the Supervisory Board. The Annual General Meeting sincerely thanked Mr Witt. Wolfgang Grenke, who after 40 very successful years in the Company, handed over the chair of the Board of Directors to Antje Leminsky on March 1, 2018, was elected as Mr Witt’s successor on the Supervisory Board. Prof Dr Ernst-Moritz Lipp was re-elected by the Annual General Meeting and also re-elected as chair of the Supervisory Board at the subsequent Supervisory Board meeting.

In addition, the shareholders approved the cancellation of existing authorised capital and the creation of new authorised capital together with the conclusion of a corporate agreement with GRENKE digital GmbH, which essentially regulates the profit transfer to GRENKE AG.

In its speech, the Board of Directors summarised for the shareholders and guests present the successes of the past fiscal year, in which the Company had set new records for new business and profits. The Board of Directors also shared its outlook for the current year, stating it was very confident overall. With sustained high growth in new business and net profit, further cell divisions and the entry into the market in the Baltic States, the targeted growth strategy is set to continue after 40 years of success.

Around 416 shareholders participated in the Annual General Meeting. The shareholder presence at the time of voting was at 79.5%.

The Company invited several pupils to its Annual General Meeting including the winners of Sparkasse Baden-Baden-Gaggenau’s stock exchange planning game and pupils from the Markgraf-Ludwig High School as part of the already existing campaign under the motto "Business Provides Education".

The Board of Directors