Global Finance

BUCHAREST, Romania, March 31, 2008 – Global Finance, a leading private equity investor in Southeastern Europe, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to sell La Fourmi, a supermarket chain with 14 stores in Bucharest, to Delhaize Group, the Belgian international food retailer, owner of Mega Image which further consolidates its leading position in Bucharest.

Global Finance acquired an 80% stake in La Fourmi in September 2005 and raised its stake in the company in August 2006 to its current level of 90.21%. La Fourmi was the first supermarket chain to open in Bucharest in 1992. The 14 stores, which have a size of 350 to 500 square meters, are located in residential areas in Bucharest and have pioneered and developed over the years a standard for convenience shopping and high quality product range.

Mihalis N. Madianos, Partner in Global Finance remarked: “This transaction completes another successful investment for Global Finance in Romania. During our investment in La Fourmi, we saw the number of stores increasing from 11 to 14, we almost doubled the turnover, introduced industry-specific processes and performance standards and embarked upon a renovation program to convert La Fourmi into a modern and satisfying shopping experience.”

Charles Maalouf, the founder of La Fourmi and holder of a 9.79% stake in the company is selling his stake in the same transaction.

The transaction is subject to customary conditions, including the approval by the Romanian antitrust authorities and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2008.

Global Finance
Global Finance, a private equity firm founded in 1991, pioneered private equity in Southeastern Europe and has established an exceptional investment track record. With offices in Bucharest, Sofia, Belgrade and Athens and 50 employees Global Finance manages over $1.2 billion in funds targeting private equity and real estate investments in Southeastern Europe.

Delhaize Group
Delhaize Group is a Belgian food retailer with operations in seven countries on three continents. At the end of 2007, Delhaize Group’s sales network consisted of 2,545 stores. In 2007, Delhaize Group’s revenues amounted to €19.0 billion. In 2007, Delhaize Group posted EUR 410.1 million in net profit. At the end of 2007, Delhaize Group employed approximately 138,000 people. Delhaize Group is listed on Euronext Brussels (DELB) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEG).

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