Leuven, Belgium – October 21st 2004 – OPTION (Euronext: OPTI), the wireless technology company, today announced that it has been listed amongst the fastest growing European companies included in the 2004 Europe’s 500, an annual listing endorsed by Microsoft, Boston Consulting Group, PricewaterhouseCoopers and 3i and published by Europe’s Entrepreneurs for Growth.
Option is one of 34 companies in Europe in the ‘Communications & Electronics’ sector who managed to qualify for Europe’s 500.
This year’s five hundred dynamic, entrepreneurial-driven companies who qualified for Europe’s 500 have managed to sustain growth since the year 2000, boosting employment and sales at an impressive average annual rate of 15%. Despite the challenging business environment, these champions of growth have created more than 120,000 jobs across Europe. They have continued to drive employment creating an average of 81 new jobs per year, more than one new job per week per year during three of the most difficult economic years in the last half decade.
Jan Callewaert, CEO Option: “We are pleased to have made the Europe’s 500 list for the first time in the history of our company. Both our GPRS and 3G PC data cards are the product hits that are feeding our growth. Close co-operation with our customers, the mobile network operators worldwide, and a relentless focus of our team on innovation and execution are the key success factors.”
Europe’s 500 shows that growth is not industry specific but is driven by talented, innovative, risk-taking entrepreneurs. The highest number of champions of growth in the 2004 Europe’s 500 are found within manufacturing (industrial goods) and industrial services sector, 30% of the five hundred companies, followed by IT services (15%) and management services (10%).
“Given the economic environment of the last few years, Option’s continued growth is a real achievement. Europe needs to stimulate employment and innovation through more fast growing companies like Option. We believe that these champions of growth should be recognised as role models” said Philippe Leonard of Europe’s 500.
The Europe’s 500 listing identifies rapidly growing European companies for their employment creation and rapid growth. Option will be officially recognized and honoured for its remarkable business achievements and growth in employment at the Europe’s 500 Awards Dinner on 7 December in Paris.
For more information please contact:
Frederic Convent, CFO & General Counsel Option
Tel +32 (0) 16 317 411
E-mail: investor@option.com
About Option
Option NV (www.option.com), the wireless technology company, is a leading innovator in the design, development and manufacture of 3G WCDMA (UMTS), EDGE, GPRS, GSM and WLAN technology products for wireless connectivity solutions. Option has built up an enviable reputation for creating exciting products that enhance the performance and functionality of wireless communications. Option’s headquarters are in Leuven, Belgium. The company has Research & Development in Leuven, a Software and Applications development centre in Adelsried (Germany) and an ISO 9002 production engineering and logistics facility in Cork, Ireland.
About Europe’s 500
Europe’s 500 was first published in 1996 as an initiative of the association also called Europe’s 500 (now know as Europe’s Entrepreneurs for Growth) and has been published on an annual basis ever since. During this time, more than 3.000 of Europe’s high growth companies have received the accolade of being one of Europe’s 500 champions of growth.
The listing is intended to focus attention on entrepreneurial achievement and fast-growth European companies. Its focus on job creation and growth in medium sized enterprises is unique and distinguishes it from other business rankings. Full information and the complete 2004 Europe’s 500 listing at: www.europes500.com