NEW YORK, March 13 /PRNewswire/ --
Escala Group (Nasdaq: ESCL) today announced that investment consultant DeMarche Associates, Inc. has named Escala Group as one of America's 100 Most-Improved Companies for Shareholder Value for 2005, a distinction placing the Company in the top three percent of all major U.S. corporations for operating performance during the three-year period ending December 31, 2005.
"We are very honored to be a part of such a select group," commented Jose Miguel Herrero, chief executive officer of Escala. "Escala Group has a well-defined corporate strategy founded on organic growth as well as growth through acquisitions. We continually look at ways to broaden our geographic and collectibles operating platform, and we pursue this objective by maintaining recognized names in the auction, merchant/dealer and trading markets that reinforce Escala Group's global brand. With this focus, we believe we can deliver value to shareholders."
To compile the annual list of 100 most-improved companies, DeMarche utilizes proprietary metrics that identify those U.S. companies achieving financial performance within the top three percent of all companies for the prior three-year calendar period. As part of the evaluation process, these metrics analyze a company's success in managing both growth and risk factors and consistently improving corporate operating performance. The complete list with the description of the evaluation metrics is located at http://www.demarche.com/Migrating100/index.htm.
About Escala Group, Inc.
Escala Group is a global network of leading companies in the collectibles market with operations in North America, Europe and Asia as well as on the Internet. The company operates through a number of subsidiaries that specialize in various sectors of the collectibles markets, and is comprised of three business areas: auctions, merchant/dealer operations and trading.
Escala Group's North American auction operations include Greg Manning Auctions division, Ivy & Manning Philatelic Auctions, Greg Manning Galleries, Greg Martin Auctions, Teletrade, Nutmeg Stamp Sales, Superior Sports, Bowers and Merena Auctions, and H.R. Harmer. In Europe, the leading auction houses affiliated with the network are Auctentia Subastas (Afinsa Auctions) of Madrid, Spain; Corinphila Auktionen of Zurich, Switzerland; and the Koehler group of auction companies of Berlin and Wiesbaden, Germany. In Asia, Escala Group's auction operations are conducted through John Bull Stamp Auctions, Ltd, the oldest philatelic auction house in Hong Kong.
Merchant/dealer activities are conducted through Greg Manning Auctions and Central de Compras Coleccionables, S.L. of Madrid, which act as exclusive suppliers of collectibles -- primarily stamps and coins -- on a worldwide basis to Afinsa Bienes Tangibles, S.A. of Madrid, Spain, and through Spectrum Numismatics International, one of the largest wholesalers of rare coins in the U.S. Afinsa is Escala Group's majority shareholder.
The trading activities of Escala Group are conducted through A-Mark Precious Metals, one of the largest private sellers of bullion coins and bullion gold, silver and platinum to the wholesale marketplace.
SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT
Statements in this press release that relate to future plans, objectives, expectations, performance, events and the like are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Future events, risks and uncertainties, individually or in the aggregate, could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Factors that may cause such differences include changes in market conditions, changes in economic environment, competitive factors and the other factors discussed in the "forward-looking information" or "risk factors" sections included in Escala Group's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Escala Group's Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, prospectuses and other documents that Escala Group has filed with the Commission. In particular, any statement related to Escala Group's expected revenues or earnings or Escala Group's being well positioned for future profitability and growth are forward-looking statements.
The words "should," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "foresee," "plan" and similar expressions and variations thereof identify certain of such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the dates on which they were made. Additionally, any statements related to future improved performance and estimates of revenues and earnings per share are forward-looking statements. Escala Group undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
Web site: http://www.demarche.com/Migrating100/index.htm
Perry Hall of the Escala Group, +1-212-421-9400, or phall@escalgroup.com
