Alumil's portfolio is enriched - for the 4th time within 2004 ? with an important distinction from world known organization GrowthPlus Europe's Top 500, in combination with Business Week's extended cover for Outstanding employment growth. Particularly, Alumil is now ranked in the 30th position among the Top 500 high-growth, job-creating companies within the wider European economy, despite "unfavourable tax legislation and red colar" (Business Week, October 2004).

This hard-to-receive distinction stems from an annual listing endorsed by 3i, Microsoft, Boston Consulting Group and PricewaterhouseCoopers and published by Europe's Entrepreneurs for Growth based on the Birch Index; a reliable measurement on new job places creation, taking into account company-specific size. The awarded companies 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. Since 2000, Alumil has significantly contributed to European economy growth, offering more than 770 new jobs, with no acquisitions, (1,352 employees in 2003, from 580 in 2000), while, at the end of the current year, new job places will surmount 1,170 (accumulated, since 2000), boosting a 202% increase, an average of 234 jobs per year !

In his Business Week interview, Mr. George Alex. Milonas, Alumil Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, accentuated: 1) Alumil sound international orientation, fully embodied in strategic planning, 2) a very decent growth story spreading all over Eastern Europe and 3) consistency marking Alumil Group estimates and growth figures, taken that growth is not merely industry specific but is driven mostly by talented, innovative, properly-measured-risk-taking partners.

Below you can find relative web pages:
www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_43/b3905415.htm (Interview)
www.businessweek.com/pdfs/2004/0443top100.pdf (Ranking)

More Information: Mr. Apostolos Papadopoulos-Almeida, +30 2310 555405, E-mail: Investors@Alumil.com