ManpowerGroup to Acquire Norway's Largest Contingent Staffing Specialist within Building and Construction Sector

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Feb 25, 2013, 08:51 ET

OSLO, Norway, Feb. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, announced today it has entered into an agreement to acquire Workshop Holding AS, which, in turn, owns Workshop Bemanning og Kompetanse AS, Norway's largest recruitment specialist in the construction sector. Workshop Holding was formerly controlled by private equity company Borea Opportunity.

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With this acquisition, Workshop Bemanning will be incorporated into ManpowerGroup Norway's Manpower brand, further elevating Manpower's position as the leader in contingent and permanent staffing, providing organizations of all sizes with a continuum of staffing solutions to enhance business agility and competitiveness. The combined entities increase the number of Manpower associates on assignment daily in Norway to approximately 7,000.

"This acquisition will further strengthen our company's Manpower staffing business, and therefore its ability to provide the agility and flexibility required to drive business success for our clients," said Hans Leentjes, ManpowerGroup President of Northern Europe. "This move also represents an excellent cultural fit, as Workshop Bemanning shares ManpowerGroup's philosophy of providing an outstanding candidate experience to ensure we attract and retain the best talent available."

"Companies in the Norwegian construction industry sector are increasingly seeking flexible recruitment services, with national investments in infrastructure development and an ever-increasing need to refurbish public buildings," said Maalfrid Brath, ManpowerGroup Norway Managing Director. "This acquisition will allow ManpowerGroup Norway to increase its market share within this industry sector, and is part of our long-term strategy to dominate this market."

"We are very satisfied with our investments in this segment and in the development of Workshop. We are delighted that such a major global organization such as ManpowerGroup has seen the potential of our company and wants to take it a step further," said Dag Sorsdahl, Chairman of the Board for Workshop and a partner in Borea Opportunity.

The acquisition agreement is pending approval from the Norwegian Competition Authority and is projected to be completed in April of this year.

About ManpowerGroup
ManpowerGroup™ (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, creates and delivers high-impact solutions that enable our clients to achieve their business goals and enhance their competitiveness. With over 60 years of experience, our $21 billion company creates unique time to value through a comprehensive suite of innovative solutions that help clients win in the Human Age. These solutions cover an entire range of talent-driven needs from recruitment and assessment, training and development, and career management, to outsourcing and workforce consulting. ManpowerGroup maintains the world's largest and industry-leading network of 3,500 offices in 80 countries and territories, generating a dynamic mix of an unmatched global footprint with valuable insight and local expertise to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, across all industry sectors, small and medium-sized enterprises, local, multinational and global companies. By connecting our deep understanding of human potential to the ambitions of clients, ManpowerGroup helps the organizations and individuals we serve achieve more than they imagined – because their success leads to our success. And by creating these powerful connections, we create power that drives organizations forward, accelerates personal success and builds more sustainable communities. We help power the world of work. The ManpowerGroup suite of solutions is offered through ManpowerGroup™ Solutions, Manpower®, Experis™ and Right Management®. Learn more about how ManpowerGroup can help you win in the Human Age at www.manpowergroup.com.

ManpowerGroup is the most trusted brand in the industry, and was once again the only company in our industry to be named to the Ethisphere Institute's 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies list for our proven commitment to ethical business practices, including an outstanding commitment to ethical leadership, compliance practices and corporate social responsibility.

In January 2011, at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, ManpowerGroup announced the world has entered the Human Age, where talent has replaced capital as the key competitive differentiator. This concept of talentism as the new capitalism continues to resonate, and was echoed as a core theme of the 2012 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Learn more about this new age at www.manpowergroup.com/humanage

Gain access to ManpowerGroup's extensive thought leadership papers, annual Talent Shortage surveys and the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, one of the most trusted indices of employment activity in the world, via the ManpowerGroup World of Work Insight iPad application. This thought leadership app explores the challenges faced by employers navigating the changing world of work and provides in-depth commentary, analysis, insight and advice on strategies for success.

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SOURCE ManpowerGroup