Welcome to The Rotala
Preston Bus Website

Rotala Plc is pleased to announce the acquisition of Preston Bus Limited ("PBL"). The board considers the acquisition of the business to be a material step in the progress of Rotala and is exactly the type of acquisition we have been looking for. The enlarged group, post acquisition, will have in the region of 570 vehicles, employ 1200 people and have an annualised turnover of about £55 million.

This acquisition establishes a new hub for Rotala in the North West region and we firmly believe that there is further potential in the region for consolidation and expansion, both organically and by more acquisitions. Consequently Bob Dunn, a main board director of Rotala for some years and formerly CEO of Dunn-Line Plc, will become the Managing Director of the North West region of Rotala with full responsibility for business growth and development.

At the current time the bus industry is going through a phase of major uncertainty and change as a result of the Government's Spending Review and the operating difficulties caused by the huge volatilities in the price of fuel. Nevertheless it is our intention to invest in and modernise the current Preston Bus brand, whilst retaining its unique identity and values. Our desire is, as we have done with all our other acquisitions over the six years of Rotala's existence, to position the Preston business so that it engages closely with its employees, users and other stakeholders.

We welcome PBL into the Rotala stable of brands and businesses. We are confident that, building on the cooperation and enthusiasm of the existing staff and management, we can bring PBL out of its recent period of uncertainty into a new era of growth and stability which is beneficial to employees, customers and shareholders alike.

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February 2011