• 78.16% of share capital represented at meeting
  • All Agenda Items adopted by a large majority
  • Dividend for the 2018 fiscal year increases from EUR 0.70 to EUR 0.80 per share
  • A total of four Supervisory Board members elected

 

Baden-Baden, May 14, 2019: This year’s Annual General Meeting of GRENKE AG was centred around the Company’s successful performance in the 2018 fiscal year. The sharehold-ers present adopted all Agenda Items up for resolution by a large majority. They also approved the appropriation of profits. Based on the resolution of the Annual General Meeting to increase the dividend from EUR 0.70 in the previous year to EUR 0.80 per share, the Company adhered to its dividend continuity of the past years by increasing the dividend for the ninth consecutive year. The remaining unappropriated surplus will again 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 2018 fiscal year. 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 Tanja Dreilich, Dr Ljiljana Mitic, Florian Schulte and Erwin Staudt. Mr Staudt and Ms Dreilich retired from the Board. The Annual General Meeting sincerely thanked Ms Dreilich and Mr Staudt while electing Ms Claudia Krcmar and Mr Heinz Panter as new members to the Supervisory Board. Ms Dr Ljiljana Mitic and Mr Florian Schulte were reelected to the Board.

The shareholders also approved the adjustment of the Supervisory Board’s remuneration system and the related amendment to the Articles of Association. In addition, they granted authorisation to issue bonds with warrants and/or convertible bonds, exclude subscription rights, create new conditional capital (Conditional Capital 2019) and the corresponding amendment to the Articles of Association.

In her speech to the shareholders and guests, Antje Leminsky, Chair of the Board of Directors, underscored the achievements during the past fiscal year, which was once again marked by new records in both new business and net profit. She also provided an overall very optimistic outlook for the current year. "Against the backdrop of the successful 2018 fiscal year, we expect new business in the Leasing segment to grow by 14% to 19% and in the Factoring segment by around 25%. Based on the favourable performance in the first quarter of 2019, we are on solid footing to reach these targets. We will continue to pursue our dedicated growth strategy by sustaining our strong advances in new business and net profit and through further cell divisions.

Around 400 shareholders attended this year’s Annual General Meeting. The shareholder presence at the time of voting was at 78.16 %.

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, Baden-Baden, as part of the existing campaign under the motto "Business Provides Education".