ABN AMRO Capital and Allianz Capital Partners have entered into an agreement to each acquire 50 percent of Sdu, a leading publishing and security identification group from the Dutch State. The acquisition by Sdu of Wolters Kluwer's 25.9 percent minority stake in Sdu Publishing forms part of the buyout. Consequently, both investors will jointly acquire full ownership of Sdu. The transaction is valued at 415 million euros.

Sdu group employs 1,000 people and generated more than 200 million euros in turnover in 2006. It comprises two different businesses, Sdu Publishing and Sdu Identification. Sdu Publishing is a leading publisher of legal journals and books. It is the leading professional Dutch publisher for areas such as construction, transport, government, management and IT and owns a stake in juris, Germany's leading legal online information platform. Sdu Identification develops, manufactures and manages systems that link people and their identity. Security print products include passports and driver's licenses for various countries.

Marc Staal from ABN AMRO Capital said: "The acquisition of Sdu is another landmark deal for us. It confirms our ability to win high-profile acquisitions by building a rapport with management and team up with the right investment partner. Sdu is well-placed to take advantage of the growth potential in the contract publishing sector by focusing on introducing new technologies to support the transfer from printed material to online product offerings."

Thomas Pütter from Allianz Capital Partners added: "We are delighted to have secured another high quality investment in the attractive Dutch market. We are business builders and will back Sdu's and juris' management legal publishing strategy in the Netherlands and Germany. Additionally, we will enable Sdu's management to use its superior biometric technology to participate in the growing international identification market."

Bert Jongsma, CEO/Chairman of Sdu said: "We are looking forward to be working with Allianz Capital Partners and ABN AMRO Capital to take the business into its next phase of development. Both investors enjoy a strong reputation of working in partnership with businesses and showed a deep understanding of our markets and our strategic goals. We look forward to working with them as we accelerate growth across the Publishing as well as the Identification business."

The acquisition of Sdu is subject to clearance from the EU merger authorities, due to be received in the course of this week. The acquisition is expected to complete towards the end of this month.

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