Entry into the vegetable seeds business: KWS acquires Pop Vriend Seeds

Einbeck, June 19, 2019. Today KWS SAAT SE entered into a definitive agreement for the purchase of the vegetable seeds business operating under the 'Pop Vriend Seeds' brand. Pop Vriend Seeds is a family-owned, worldwide operating seeds breeding company for spinach, beans, red beet, and Swiss chard with headquarters in Andijk/NL. Under the "Pop Vriend Seeds" brand, the company sells vegetable seeds in over 100 countries. The agreed purchase price equals approx. 20% of the current market capitalisation of KWS SAAT SE.

Founded in 1956, the fast-growing company Pop Vriend Seeds generated revenues of around EUR 75 million in the 2017/2018 financial year with above-average profitability. The acquisition will strengthen KWS's future revenues and earnings growth and contribute to the achievement of its strategic goals.

The Executive Board

About KWS
KWS is one of the world's leading plant breeding companies. More than 5,000 employees* in more than 70 countries generated net sales of around €1.8 billion in fiscal 2022/2023. KWS has been run independently as a family-owned company for more than 165 years. It focuses on plant breeding and the production and sale of corn, sugarbeet, cereal, vegetable, rapeseed and sunflower seed. KWS uses state-of-the-art plant breeding methods to increase farmers' yields and further improve plants' resistance to diseases, pests and abiotic stress. To realize this goal, the company invested more than €300 million in research and development in the past fiscal year.

*excluding seasonal employees
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Notifying Person:

Peter Vogt
Head of Investor Relations
Tel. +49 30 816914-490
investor.relations@kws.com