EANS-News: Hoeft & Wessel with a successful start into 2011

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Subtitle: - Marked increase in sales revenues and earnings in the first quarter
- Shares reflect greater liquidity

Hannover / Germany, 05-05-2011. (euro adhoc) - The Hoeft & Wessel Group recorded
a significant increase in sales revenues and earnings for the first three months
of the year 2011, making a successful start to the current financial year.

During the first quarter of 2011, the IT and engineering Group for ticketing,
parking and mobile solutions boosted sales revenues by 31 per cent to EUR 20.8
million (previous year: EUR 15.9 million). Contributing to the revenues
generated were deliveries of ticket vending machines to S-Bahn Berlin and the
Danish National Railways, parking terminals to South West Trains in the UK, and
mobile terminals to German company Eismann and to Swiss Post.

The operating result (EBIT) of -EUR 0.4 million recorded on 31-03-2011 was also
a marked improvement on the previous-year quarter (31-12-2009: -EUR 1.6
million).

Orders received in the first quarter of 2011 amounted to EUR 18.9 million
(previous year: EUR 25.3 million). New orders came from the UK for the new
compact ticket vending machines, from the airline SAS for check-in terminals,
from the U.S city of Madison for parking terminals, and from Rewe and from the
partner Warok for mobile equipment, amongst others. The order portfolio as at
31-03-2011 stood at EUR 60.0 mn. (31-12-2010: EUR 61.9 mn.).

With an average daily trading volume on all stock exchanges totalling around
7,500 shares (Q1 2010: 4,400 shares), the liquidity of Hoeft & Wessel shares
(ticker: HWS) was up significantly.

In light of the strong business performance in the first quarter, the Hoeft &
Wessel Group affirms its positive forecast of rising sales revenues and
earnings for the current financial year and for 2012. Hansjoachim Oehmen, CEO
of the Hoeft & Wessel Group: "We anticipate new sales impetus to come from the
opening up of additional international markets."

Key Financials of Hoeft & Wessel Group

in EUR thousands 31-03-2011 31-03-2010 31-03-2009 31-03-2008 31-03-2007
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Sales revenues         20,774     15,901     24,466     16,283     17,956

Operating result 
before deprec./amort.
(EBITDA)                1,051      (385)      1,366        160         15

Operating result 
(EBIT)                  (370)    (1,604)        220       (974)    (1,110)

 in % of sales revenues    -          -         0.9          -          -

Earnings before taxes 
(EBT)                   (620)    (1,814)          8     (1,309)    (1,422)

 in % of sales revenues    -          -         0.1          -          -

Group earnings (778) (2,002) (208) (1,476) (1,521)

Earnings per share
in EUR (0.09) (0.24) (0.02) (0.17) (0.18)

Dividend in EUR 0.10* 0.08 - - -

Operating cash flow   (4,071)       498     (2,597)     (4,832)    (2,092)


Average number of 
employees                500        495        494         506        500
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*Proposal

IR website with Quarterly Report 2011:
http://www.hoeft-wessel.com/en/investor-relations/current-financial-reports/

Press kit with photos: http://www.presseportal.de/pm/12945/hoeft_wessel_ag/

The Company
The Hoeft & Wessel Group is the leading IT and engineering technology Group for
ticketing, parking and mobile solutions in Germany and Great Britain.
Established in 1978 by the two entrepreneurs who gave the company its name and
listed on the stock market since 1998 (ISIN DE0006011000), the enterprise has
developed into a group of companies with sales revenues of nearly EUR 100
million and a workforce of 500 employees. Its main locations are Hannover,
Germany, and Swindon, UK, to the west of London.

The annual investment volume in the Research & Development division, which sets
the pace in the Group´s technological orientation and employs more than a third
of the total workforce, amounts to approximately 10 per cent in terms of
turnover. According to the EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard, Hoeft &
Wessel ranks amongst the top companies in Europe.

Further inquiry note:
Arnd Fritzemeier
Tel.: +49-511-6102-300
E-Mail: [email protected]
end of announcement euro adhoc
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company:     Höft & Wessel AG
             Rotenburger Str.  20
             D-30659 Hannover
phone:       +49-511-6102-0
FAX:         +49-511-6102-411
mail:        [email protected]
WWW:         http://www.hoeft-wessel.com
sector:      Technology
ISIN:        DE0006011000
indexes:     TecDAX, Prime All Share, Technology All Share

stockmarkets: regulated dealing/prime standard: Frankfurt, free trade: Berlin,
Hamburg, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Hannover, München
language: English

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