Press release

Blieskastel, 18thSeptember 2013

Hager Group lays the first stone of its new Forum

On 16thSeptember building work officially started on the new Hager Group Forum at the Group's biggest site in Obernai, Alsace.

From left to right: Louisa Hutton, architect, Guy-Dominique Kennel, President of the Lower-Rhine General Council, Matthias Sauerbruch, architect, Daniel Hager, CEO, Bernard Fischer, Mayor of Obernai, Dr. Oswald Hager, founder, Evi Hager, Vice-President of the Supervisory Board.

"One person transforms his hand by placing it in another's" - Paul Eluard (French poet, 1895 - 1952)

In April 2012 Hager Group invited six highly acclaimed international architecture firms to compete for the design of its new Forum. The winner was the Berlin firm Sauerbruch Hutton with its design for a refined, timeless, welcoming building conveying the values and identity of Hager Group.

This ambitious project is confirmation that Hager Group is keen to continue investing in its original site and to develop further so that it can rise to any challenges around the corner.The Forum will be used to welcome and train up to 10 000 customers and visitors a year, from all over the world, as well as offering work areas, an exhibition and conference centre, auditorium, and cafeteria. The official launch of the construction phase was marked by a special ceremony on 16thSeptember 2013 duringwhich the first stone was laid. On the initiative of Daniel Hager, CEO of Hager Group, and in the presence of Dr. Oswald Hager, co-founder, Evi Hager, vice-President of the Supervisory Board, Guy-Dominique Kennel, President of the Lower-Rhine General Council, and Bernard Fischer, Mayor of Obernai, the ceremony was a friendly event, taking place on the very spot where the 6500m2 Forum is currently being built.

As part of the ceremony, Daniel Hager and key members of the project team sealed inside a speciallydesigned metal and glass brick-shapedcontainer a number of highly symbolic items: a piece of the existing Forum built on the Obernai site in 1993, a catalogue of the training courses available to Hager installers, these training courseshave always been such an essential and distinctive characteristic of the company ever since it was set up, and a fresco made by the Hager Group employees in Obernai. Their handprints positioned alongside the corporate logo evoke the Group identity. As suggested in the words above taken from the poem by Paul Eluard, hands are the expression of an individual's identity as well as helping shape and support the identity of the Group. Taken together, the different items sealed in the casket sum up perfectly the new Forum's raison d'être. Daniel Hager took this opportunity to clarify the ambitions of the building: “The objective of this new Forum is to reinvent the key to our success and adapt it to the 21st Century. We hope that this Forum – a space for exchange, creativity and innovation - will contribute to the growth of the group.”

Following on from the official ceremony, Hager Group has also launched an on-line photo competition. Participants have until 30thSeptember 2013 to upload their favouritephotographs related in some way to their best memories linked to Hager Group onto a dedicated internet platform. The photos will then be collected and arranged as a mosaic to be displayed forthe inauguration of the new Forum and on social media. For more information about the competition:

Hager Group Forum, with its excellent working and training facilities, is scheduled to open in early 2015. With its wooden porch structure, sober lines and light interior, it will blend in perfectly with the existing buildings on the site.

About Hager Group

Hager Group is a leading supplier of solutions and services for electrical installations in residential, commercial and industrial buildings. Our range of solutions and services extends from energy distribution to cable management and from security systems to building automation.

As an independent family-owned and run company based in Blieskastel, Germany, Hager Group is one of the industry's innovation leaders. 11,400 employees generate a turnover of 1.6 billion euros (2012). Our components and applications are produced in 22 locations around the globe and customers in more than 80 countries all over the world trust in them.

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Contact
Marie HIRTH
Corporate Communications
132 boulevard de l’Europe
BP3 - 67215 Obernai Cedex
France
Tel.: +33 3 69 55 61 94
Mobile: +33 7 86 61 08 77

/ Photos
Hager_Group_Forum_1Pierre_Fischer
Hager_Group_Forum_1Pierre_Groupe
Hager_Group_Forum_1Pierre_Kennel
Hager_Group_Forum_1Pierre_Pierre
Hager_Group_Forum_1Pierre_ConstructionSite
Hager_Group_Forum_1Pierre_ConstructionSite2
Hager_Group_Forum_1Pierre_Daniel_Hager
Hager_Group_Forum_1Pierre_Oswald_Hager_Kennel
Hager_Group_Forum_Fresque
Hager_Group_Forum_Fresque2
Hager_Group_Forum_Fresque3

Legal form: Societas Europaea

Head office: Blieskastel

Registration office: Saarbrücken HRB16434

Board of Directors: Daniel Hager (Chief Executive Officer), Philippe Ferragu, Bertrand Schmitt