New Supervisory Board Chairman and CFO

Changes in the Supervisory and Management Boards of TAKKT AG

At today’s meeting, the Supervisory Board of TAKKT AG elected Dr. Klaus Trützschler new Chairman with immediate effect. He succeeds Günther Hülse, who will remain on the Supervisory Board but has resigned from his position as Chairman for personal reasons. Klaus Trützschler is a member of the Management Board of Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH, the company’s majority shareholder, and has been a member of TAKKT AG’s Supervisory Board since May 2001.

The Supervisory Board also appointed Dr. Florian Funck new Chief Financial Officer of TAKKT AG with effect from June 1, 2004. He will succeed Dr. Felix Zimmermann, who will join Celesio AG as CFO on the same date. Funck currently holds the position of Manager of Corporate Controlling and Accounting at Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH.

“We both regret and respect Mr Hülse’s decision,” said Management Board Chairman Georg Gayer. “We would like to thank him expressly for his valuable support in recent years. We very much appreciate Dr. Funck’s appointment as Chief Financial Officer. On account of his knowledge of the group, he will be able to close the gap quickly left by Dr. Zimmermann.”

Short profile of TAKKT AG
Represented in more than 20 countries, TAKKT AG is the number one B2B mail order company for office, business and warehouse equipment in Europe and North America. The product range of the TAKKT subsidiaries comprises some 100,000 business and warehouse equipment items, classical and design-oriented office furniture, occupational safety products as well as sales promotion items for retailers, the food service industry and the hotel market.

TAKKT AG employs approximately 1,900 people, has 2.5 million customers worldwide and distributes more than 50 million catalogues and mailings per year.

The company is listed in the SDAX and was admitted to Deutsche Boerse’s Prime Standard on 1 January 2003.

Stuttgart, 4 May 2004

Contacts:

Georg Gayer
Phone +49 (0)711 3 46 58-201

Dr. Felix A. Zimmermann
Phone +49 (0)711 3 46 58-207