Bosch has signed agreements with the financial investor Ventizz to acquire 50.45 percent of the shares in ersol Solar Energy AG, Erfurt, Germany. The purchase price for these shares amounts to 546.4 million euros, equivalent to a price of 101.00 euros per share. The acquisition of the shareholding is subject to approval by the antitrust authorities. As a result of these agreements, Bosch intends to make a public takeover offer to all other ersol shareholders, in which it will also offer 101.00 euros per share in cash. The offer price will represent a premium of 68 percent based on the weighted average XETRA and floor-trading share price of the past three months. Apart from Ventizz, further ersol shareholders, whose combined shareholding comes to a total of 3.3 percent, have already signed irrevocable undertakings to accept the offer.

ersol Solar Energy AG develops, manufactures, and sells wafer-based silicon solar cells, and is moving into the manufacture of thin-film modules. The photovoltaics company generated global sales of 160 million euros in 2007. For 2008, ersol expects sales of more than 300 million euros. The company currently employs some 1,000 associates at three locations.