Saarbrücken, 27 May 2009 – The shareholders of Praktiker Bau- und Heimwerkermärkte Holding AG will receive a dividend of 10 euro cents per share for financial year 2008. The corresponding proposal of the Management Board and Supervisory Board was approved today with a large majority by the Fourth Ordinary Annual General Meeting of the company that went public on 22 November 2005. Based on the stock price at the close of 2008 this corresponds to a dividend yield of 1.3 percent.

CEO Wolfgang Werner justified the dividend payment, which is distinctly lower than in the previous years (0.45 euro), with the priority being placed on securing earnings and liquidity. “We have to do everything possible to maintain a comfortable liquidity base also at the end of the current financial year” stressed Werner. Retaining most of the earnings will contribute to this.

As far as the earnings position in the year under review is concerned the dividend could well have been higher, conceded Werner. But despite their understanding for the shareholders’ legitimate interest in maximum returns the Management Board and the Supervisory Board were convinced that “securing the resistance of the Praktiker Group will serve the interests of our shareholders much better in the medium and long term“. In addition, the goal was also to distribute the burden of securing the future of the Group on as many shoulders as possible.

Around 55,2 percent of the shareholder votes were represented at this year’s Annual General Meeting of Praktiker Bau- und Heimwerkermärkte Holding AG.