ACXM Acxiom Holdngs (delisted)

Acxiom Continues European Growth With Proposed Acquisition of Consodata S.A. LONDON and LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- - Deal would include Consodata Germany, formerly known as pan-adress Acxiom(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: ACXM) today announced that it has extended an offer to acquire the Consodata companies based in England, France, Spain and Germany from Turin-based Seat P.G., one of the world's leading multi-platform directories companies. Seat has granted Acxiom exclusivity concerning the proposed transaction and is submitting the transaction to the Works Council of Consodata S.A., the labour representative body of Consodata, as required by French law. Under the terms of the offer, Seat P.G. will retain ownership of the Consodata operations based in Italy and the U.S. The Consodata European operations own and operate some of the most comprehensive consumer lifestyle databases in Europe. Acxiom's acquisition, when completed, will represent its second recent acquisition of the European operations of a consumer lifestyle and behavioural information business. In January, Acxiom completed the purchase of the Claritas European operations based in England, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Poland. Acxiom Company Leader Charles D. Morgan said that by consolidating the companies' comprehensive data assets and excellent client service capabilities with Acxiom's technological innovation, Acxiom will be even more prepared to help companies doing business in Europe improve their marketing effectiveness and customer acquisition results. "The Consodata acquisition will be another step forward in our strategy of providing a full complement of services for businesses wanting to succeed in the pan-European market," Morgan added. Morgan said Acxiom, the Consodata European operations and Claritas Europe are accustomed to serving many of the larger, more successful global companies. "As a single company, we will be better positioned to respond to our clients' growing multi-national marketing efforts as well as support companies of all sizes and geographies who are looking to grow their business in Europe," he said. The total net consideration paid by Acxiom for the proposed transaction will be EUR30 million (approximately US$37.5 million) in cash. The EUR30 million net consideration includes the acquisition of the German operation formally known as pan-adress and excludes the Consodata Italian business, which will bebought back by Seat P.G. Acxiom expects the transaction to be slightly accretive for fiscal 2005. The acquired Consodata companies are expected to add approximately EUR50 million to EUR55 million (approximately US$63 million to US$69 million) to Acxiom's revenue for fiscal 2005, which begins April 1, 2004. This will increase Acxiom's anticipated annual European revenue for fiscal 2005 to approximately US$230 million to US$235 million. The transaction is expected to close during the fiscal quarter beginning April 1, 2004. Consodata's clients include some of the world's most successful companies in the financial services, retail and media industries. The Consodata data acquisition and sales offices being purchased by Acxiom are in Kingston, England; Lyon, Lille and Paris, France; Munich, Germany; and Barcelona, Spain. Consodata products will be re-branded with the Acxiom name. Very much like Acxiom's InfoBase(R) products in the U.S. and the recently acquired Claritas Europe products, Consodata's products provide consumer lifestyle and behavioural information necessary for effective marketing. About Acxiom Acxiom Corporation (Nasdaq: ACXM) integrates data, services and technology to create and deliver customer and information management solutions for many of the largest, most respected companies in the world. The core components of Acxiom's innovative solutions are Customer Data Integration (CDI) technology, data, database services, IT outsourcing, consulting and analytics, and privacy leadership. Founded in 1969, Acxiom is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, with locations throughout the United States and Europe, and in Australia and Japan. For more information, visit www.acxiom.com. Acxiom and InfoBase are registered trademarks of Acxiom Corporation. This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially; such statements include but are notnecessarily limited to the following: 1) that the transactions are expected to be slightly accretive for fiscal 2005; 2) that the anticipated revenue from the companies acquired is estimated to be approximately EUR50 million to EUR55 million (approximately US$63 million to US$69 million); 3) that Acxiom's annual European revenue for fiscal 2005 is expected to be approximately US$230 million to US$235 million; 4) that the transaction will close in the first fiscal quarter of fiscal 2005; and 5) that the acquired companies will be successfully integrated into Acxiom's existing business, including the recently acquired Claritas European businesses. The following are important factors, among others, that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements: The possibility that certain contracts may not be closed or closed within the anticipated time frames; the possibility that certain contracts may not generate the anticipated revenue or profitability; the possibility that economic or other conditions might lead to a reduction in demand for the Company's products and services; the possibility that the current economic slowdown may worsen and/or persist for an unpredictable period of time; the possibility that economic conditions will not be as expected; the possibility that significant customers may experience extreme, severe economic difficulty; the possibility that the fair value of certain assets of the Company may not be equal to the carrying value of those assets now or in future time periods; the possibility that sales cycles may lengthen; the continued ability to attract and retain qualified technical and leadership associates and the possible loss of associates to other organizations; the ability to properly motivate the sales force and other associates of the Company; the ability to achieve cost reductions and avoid unanticipated costs; the continued availability of credit upon satisfactory terms and conditions; the introduction of competent, competitive products, technologies or services by other companies; potential pricing pressure due to market conditions and/or competitive products and services; changes in consumer or business information industries and markets; the Company's ability to protect proprietary information and technology or to obtain necessary licenses on commercially reasonable terms; the difficulties encountered when entering new markets or industries; changes in the legislative, accounting, regulatory and consumer environments affecting the Company's business, including but not limited to litigation, legislation, regulations and customs relating to the Company's ability to collect, manage, aggregate and use data; the possibility that data suppliers might withdraw data from the Company, leading to the Company's inability to provide certain products and services; the entry into short-term contracts vs. long-term contracts, which could affect the predictability of the Company's revenues; the possibility that the amount of adhoc, volume based and project work will not be as expected; the potential loss of data center capacity or interruption of telecommunication links or power sources; postal rate increases that could lead to reduced volumes of business; the possibility that customers may cancel or modify their agreements with the Company; the potential disruption of the services of the United States Postal Service, their global counterparts and other delivery systems; the successful integration of any acquired businesses; and other competitive factors. With respect to the providing of products or services in Europe and elsewhere outside the Company's primary base of operations in the U.S., all of the above factors are applicable, along with the difficulty of doing business in numerous sovereign jurisdictions due to differences in culture, laws and regulations. Other factors are disclosed from time to time in the Company's periodic reports and registration statements filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Acxiom believes that it has the product and technology offerings, facilities, associates and competitive and financial resources for continued business success, but future revenues, costs, margins and profits are all influenced by a number of factors, including those discussed above, all of which are inherently difficult to forecast. Acxiom undertakes no obligation to update the information contained in this press release, any conference call, or any other forward-looking statement. DATASOURCE: Acxiom Corporation European Media Contact: Katy Ludditt, Band & Brown Communications, +44(0)207-419-7000, Media Contact: Jonathan Portis, Acxiom Public Relations, +1-501-252-6284, Financial Relations Contact: Robert S. Bloom, Financial Relations Leader, Acxiom Corporation, +1-501-252-1321, EACXM, GACXM

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