Avnet to acquire Horizon Technology Group

Avnet plans to acquire Horizon Technology Group in an all cash offer for €1.18 per share, which equates to an equity value of approximately €98.5 million and a transaction value of €94.4 million assuming a net cash position for Horizon of €4.1M as of December 31, 2007. Horizon is a technical integrator and distributor of information technology products in the UK and Ireland. The transaction, which is subject to, among other things, the completion of a tender offer under the Irish Takeover Rules and EU merger control clearance, is expected to close by the end of June 2008. Roy Vallee, Avnet’s chairman and chief executive officer, commented, “The acquisition of Horizon will substantially strengthen Technology Solutions’ position in the UK IT distribution market and expand its geographic coverage into Ireland. Horizon’s leading position with tier 1 vendors and growing services practices offer an opportunity to bolster Avnet’s current product and services offerings in Europe. This acquisition creates exciting cross selling opportunities and adds scale to our TS business in the region. We are also very excited about the management and talented team of people at Horizon that should allow Avnet to accelerate the growth of Technology Solutions in Europe.” In compliance with the Irish Takeover Rules, Avnet (Holdings) Limited will within 28 days mail to Horizon shareholders an offer document which sets out in full the terms and conditions of the offer. Avnet has already received irrevocable commitments to accept the offer from Horizon Directors and certain other shareholders representing 61.35% of the issued shares. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of June and be accretive to earnings by approximately $0.10 per share in FY2009, excluding integration charges, and supports Avnet’s return on capital goals. John Paget, President of Technology Solutions, added, “The acquisition of Horizon provides a great opportunity to enhance our value proposition to both customers and suppliers in EMEA. By investing in technical resources and focusing on complete solutions, Horizon has been able to expand its offerings. Its business model is a strong fit with our strategy to provide more value-add and affords meaningful opportunities to exchange best practices.”