[February 13, 2012]

Sopra Group Significantly Reinforces Its Positioning in the United Kingdom with Two Acquisitions

Regulatory News:

Sopra Group (Paris:SOP)(NYSE Euronext: SOP) announced today two proposed acquisitions which will significantly boost its presence in the United Kingdom. These transactions are expected to close during the first quarter 2012, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Under the proposed deals, Tieto Corporation's UK financial services product business and the UK subsidiary of Business & Decision would join Sopra Group.

Both companies would be integrated as soon as possible within Sopra Group's UK subsidiary, which generated revenue of approximately €58 million for financial year 2011.

On completion of the transactions, the new entity will offer its UK clients a wide array of know-how, services and solutions, ranging from innovative service delivery in targeted vertical segments to the distribution of solutions for the financial services sector. These transactions will also enhance the Group's capacity to provide services on an international scale.

Further information about Tieto's "Financial Services UK"

Tieto's UK financial services product business provides mortgage, savings, credit, asset finance and debt collection systems to UK organisations including banks, building societies, consumer and corporate finance companies and debt recovery agencies in the UK and parts of Europe. It generated revenue of approximately €22 million in financial year 2011.

Further information about Business & Decision UK

Business & Decision's UK subsidiary provides consulting and IT services, including business intelligence (BI), customer relationship management (CRM) and e-business for clients in the financial services, retail, public sector and transport verticals, among others. It generated revenue of approximately €26 million in financial year 2011.

Strategy

These transactions are perfectly in line with the Goup's announced strategy of reinforcing positioning in Europe and better aligning its European subsidiaries' business models with the operational business model in place in France (consulting, IT services, software development) in order to capitalise on synergies and Group know-how. Moreover, for employees of all three companies, it will create exciting career opportunities during a transformative period in the information technology sector.

Financial information

Sopra Group expects these transactions to be accretive. Given the highly complementary nature of the businesses, the Group anticipates synergies through both revenue growth and cost savings.

On a pro forma basis, Sopra Group's UK subsidiary would have generated revenue of around €106 million in 2011.

The proposed transactions have been approved by Sopra Group's Board of Directors as well as by Tieto's and Business & Decision's respective Boards. The transactions are subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions and are expected to close during the first quarter 2012.

Sopra Group will fund the transactions through its existing lines of credit. Financial terms have not been disclosed.

International Conference / Webcast Information

Further information will be provided during Sopra Group's annual results presentation planned for February 16th at 15:30 p.m. CET. This meeting, which will be held in French, is open to all interested parties and will take place at the Hotel Meurice, 228 rue de Rivoli, Paris. A replay of the meeting, as well as an English translation, will be available at www.finance.sopragroup.com for those unable to attend the live session.

Disclaimer

This document is a free translation into English of the original French press release. It is not a binding document. In the event of a conflict in interpretation, reference should be made to the French version, which is the authentic text.

The forecasts in this document are contingent upon risks and uncertainties as to the Group's future growth and profitability. Readers are reminded that licence agreements, which often represent investments for our clients, are more significant in the second half of the year, and may therefore have a more or less favourable impact on full-year performance.

The outcome of events or actual results may differ from those described in this document as a result of various risks and uncertainties set out in the 2010 Reference Document submitted to the Autorité des Marchés Financiers on 8 April 2011 (in particular pages 54 and following).

About Sopra Group

A leader in the European consulting, IT services and software development markets, Sopra Group generated revenue of 1.17 billion euros in 2010 and employs over 13,000 people. Thanks to a longstanding culture of excellence and strong sector-specific, functional and technological know-how, the Group offers its clients an end to end approach based on a well-honed business model. Sopra Group's ambition is to allow its clients to successfully execute transformation projects that will give them a competitive edge and help them drive growth. Sopra Group's savoir-faire encompasses prior strategic reflection through to the supervision and implementation of major programmes. For more information, please visit our website www.sopragroup.com.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]