PPM CAPITAL ACQUIRES PRODENT INTERNATIONAL D.O.O.

18 juni 2007 PPM Capital ("PPM"), a mid-market private equity specialist, has acquired 100% of shares in Prodent International d.o.o. ("Prodent") through its holding European Dental Partners ("EDP"). Prodent, the Slovenian market leader in dental distribution, is the fourth add-on in the first 12 months made by EDP, which acts as a strategic platform in the European dental industry. All parties have agreed to keep the purchase price confidential. Prodent, headquarted in Ljubljana, is the undisputed number 1 in the Slovenian dental market with a share of approx. 30%. The company also holds a strong position in Croatia through its subsidiary Dentatus. The Slovenian market for dental distribution is expected to grow particularly fast in the next four years, mainly due to the increasing degree of privatisation in the sector. The acquisition of Prodent underlines PPM's commitment to its Buy & Build strategy. The objective is to develop EDP into a pan-European player in the dental industry. Prodent is the fourth acquisition within a year made by EDP. It follows the acquisition of InteraDent, a Lübeck-based company which operates South-East Asia's largest dental laboratory, as well as Dentamed and Stomatol (both headquartered in Prague). At the heart of EDP is the M&W group, Germany's leading specialised mail order company for dental consumables and small appliances, which is based in Büdingen and operates companies in Austria, Switzerland and Hungary. PPM and EDP place great emphasis on management continuity: the fast-growing business will continue to be led by the existing management team. "Prodent is a brilliant strategic fit for the entire group in several respects," says Horst Trimborn, Chairman of EDP. "The management has excellent contacts to the central and east European countries, so that we can significantly strengthen our market presence in these growth regions". Guido May, Managing Director of PPM Capital GmbH comments: "The acquisition of Prodent is a continuation of our Buy & Build strategy of strengthening our investments through external acquisitions to build the value of the company." PPM has demonstrated the success of this strategy with companies such as the Barracuda Group and The Astron Group, both of which grew substantially through acquisitions under PPM's ownership. PPM was advised by PwC (Financial/Tax) and Skadden Arps (Legal). -End- Approved by PPM Capital Limited; PPM is authorised & regulated in the UK by the Financial Services Authority. For further information please contact: Guido May Managing Director PPM Capital Andreas Holtschneider Associate PPM Capital Tel.: +49 (0)89 2388 96 0 For German media enquires: Ulf Ziegler fischerAppelt, ziegler Tel.: +49 (0)40 899 699 0 Notes on PPM PPM Capital is a leading source of private equity finance for mid-market transactions and has more than ¤2 billion of allocated funds available for investment. An established office network operates in London, Munich, Paris and Chicago with 25 local investment professionals. Although PPM's investment portfolio is broadly based, the firm has established a reputation for its expertise in the healthcare, retail, leisure, business and financial services sectors and a number of successful investments have recently been completed. Recent Investments - ¤176.5 million acquisition of orizon AG from GL AG in 2007 - Acquisition of Intradent Zahntechnik AG in 2006 - GBP 107.5 million acquisition of Paramount Restaurants from Starlight in 2006 - GBP 183 million acquisition of Azzurri Communications from 3i in 2006 - ¤230 million acquisition of Histoire d'Or from Apax-Partners in 2006 Recent Divestments - ¤1.3 billion sale (together with Triton) of Phadia to Cinven in 2006 - Sale of BST Safety Textiles to the WLRoss Group in 2006 - Sale of OREFI Participation to Investcorp in 2006 PPM Capital Limited is the private equity arm of Prudential plc. www.ppmcapital.com