Haselünne, March 23, 2020 – The Executive Board of Berentzen-Gruppe Aktiengesellschaft, listed on the Regulated Market (General Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ISIN: DE0005201602), has decided today, in joint agreement with the Supervisory Board, not to hold the Annual General Meeting on May 13, 2020 as previously scheduled, but to postpone it to a later date in 2020 as far as possible in compliance with the statutory 8-month period.
The background for this decision is the worldwide spread of the Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The health of its shareholders, employees, service providers and guests is a top priority for the company. Through this shift, Berentzen-Gruppe Aktiengesellschaft would like to actively contribute to the containment of the spread of the Coronavirus. At the same time, with this measurement the decrees of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Health of March 16/17, 2020 and the joint resolutions of the German Federal and State governments of March 22, 2020 are taken into account. At this point in time, it is not sufficiently certain whether there would be official approval for the Annual General Meeting to be held on the date planned so far. Today's announcement of a draft legislation with special provisions for the convening and conduct of Annual General Meetings in 2020 cannot be taken into account by Berentzen-Gruppe Aktiengesellschaft in its decision insofar as the further course of the legislative procedure and a possible date of entry into force cannot be predicted in advance. Among other things, the postponement is inevitably associated with a correspondingly later general meeting’s resolution on the appropriation of profits and payment of the dividend.
The catch-up date for the Annual General Meeting 2020 cannot be scheduled at present, but will be determined depending on the further development of the occurrence of infection and the measures ordered by the responsible authorities. The Executive Board will convene the Annual General Meeting as soon as planning certainty has been established in this regard. Berentzen-Gruppe Aktiengesellschaft will promptly inform its shareholders and the public about further planning and will issue an invitation in accordance with the statutory formalities and deadlines.