The Social Chain AG: Social Chain AG expands food segment: Food Chain acquires ten percent of PLANTY-OF-MEAT

DGAP-News: The Social Chain AG / Key word(s): Investment/Expansion The Social Chain AG: Social Chain AG expands food segment: Food Chain acquires ten percent of PLANTY-OF-MEAT 26.01.2021 / 10:43 The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Media Release Social Chain AG expands food segment: Food Chain acquires ten percent of PLANTY-OF-MEAT PLANTY-OF-MEAT is a specialist for plant-based meat alternatives Innovative production: sunflower as a source of protein Total revenue of Food Chain GmbH to increase organically to EUR 110m in 2021 Wanja S. Oberhof: "PLANTY-OF-MEAT stands for the consumer trend towards healthy and sustainable food." Berlin, 26 January 2021. Social Chain AG is strengthening its position in the food segment by investing in the promising market of plant-based meat alternatives: Food Chain GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Social Chain AG (WKN: A1YC99), acquires ten percent of PLANTY-OF-MEAT GmbH. Social Chain AG is thus expanding its food segment, which has been consolidated in its Food Chain GmbH since November 2020. The company has also secured the option to acquire a majority stake in PLANTY-OF-MEAT. Food Chain expects strong growth in 2021: organic revenues are expected to increase from EUR 75 million (preliminary figures, pro forma consolidated) in the financial year 2020 to EUR 110 million in 2021. PLANTY-OF-MEAT (planty-of-meat.de) was founded in Munich in 2019 with the aim of developing and producing natural and plant-based meat alternatives that allow customers a meat-reduced diet and at the same time enjoyment without compromise. Through local development and regional production, PLANTY-OF-MEAT offers future-oriented "plant-based" solutions from a single source. The plant-based meat alternatives are based on plant proteins that perfectly imitate the texture, smell and taste of meat of animal origin. They are vegan, but their taste and appearance appeal not only to vegetarians and flexitarians, but also to modern and open-minded "meat eaters". Unlike its competitors, PLANTY-OF-MEAT uses high-quality proteins from sunflowers for its burgers and minced meat, which are processed using a specifically developed method. Compared to soy and peas, sunflower protein has a unique taste profile that is very close to the texture of meat. It is also free from allergens or genetically modified organisms. Christoph Schöppl, Managing Director of PLANTY-OF-MEAT and, together with Johannes Biel, one of the founders: "PLANTY-OF-MEAT is breaking innovative ground in the production of its food and focuses on new target groups for meat alternatives. We are looking forward to the business cooperation with Social Chain in order to explore creative directions in marketing and distribution as well. For the next stage of PLANTY-OF-MEAT's development, we are focusing on a communication and marketing strategy away from the mainstream. Social media and social commerce will further boost awareness and growth of PLANTY-OF-MEAT." Food: a rapidly growing Social Commerce vertical of Social Chain AG Wanja S. Oberhof, CEO of Social Chain AG: "PLANTY-OF-MEAT is a perfect addition to our rapidly growing Food Chain GmbH. Using plants as a nutritional basis and substitute for meat consumption reflects a clear consumer trend towards healthy and sustainable food. With Social Chain's social media expertise, we can open up new, efficient marketing and sales opportunities for PLANTY-OF-MEAT. Food is playing an increasingly important role in social commerce. The segment is a substantial Social Commerce vertical of Social Chain AG and remains one of the most important investment areas for us." Integrated social commerce strategy: Proprietary brands and food communities with a focus on direct sales to the end customer Under the umbrella of Food Chain GmbH, Social Chain AG consolidates its social media and e-commerce capabilities and brands. Oberhof: "This fully integrated Social Commerce vertical is trend-setting for cooperations throughout Social Chain AG to bring communities, manufacturers and brands together step by step." The B2C brands of Food Chain benefit from the broad social media expertise of Social Chain: from the exclusive influencer network, one of the most creative social media agencies (Social Chain Agency) to its own communities with a reach of 80 million followers currently. Social Chain community "Love Food" is particularly interesting for the food segment. With 6.7 million followers on Instagram and 3.1 million fans on Facebook, "Love Food" is one of the most successful food communities of any social publisher worldwide. In addition to PLANTY-OF-MEAT, Food Chain GmbH currently holds shares in the following four companies: Clasen Bio (shareholding: 100%), KoRo (57%), 3Bears (15%) and VYTAL (12.5%). Clasen Bio (clasen-bio.de) sells its products in a multi channel approach through food retailers, e-commerce platforms and its online shop. The Clasen Bio brand offers currently 90 articles in eight product groups: nuts, dried fruits, snacks, seeds, cereals, pulses, powders and special flours. Since December 2019, Clasen Bio has also been certified by Demeter and now offers a range of 15 products under this prestigious organic label. KoRo operates its own food online shops in seven European countries (koro-drogerie.de). The company focuses on high-quality products in bulk packaging with resulting cost savings for end customers. KoRo uses social media almost exclusively for marketing and is therefore one of the pioneers of social commerce in the food sector. Only recently, Social Chain increased its shareholding in KoRo to 57 percent (media release from 13 November 2020). 3Bears produces and distributes innovative porridge products from oats, made from only natural ingredients and superfoods (3bears.de). 3Bears has established itself over the past two years as a well-known and popular brand that can be found both online and on many supermarket shelves. VYTAL is an innovative digital reusable system for the collection and delivery of meals and convenience food (vytal.org). As a start-up platform provider, VYTAL already has more than 600 partners across Germany - mainly restaurants, canteens and delivery services - and recently started an app that allows users to order food conveniently and contact-free without waste. VYTAL became known in the latest season of "Die Höhle der Löwen" (the equivalent to the UK's "Dragons' Den") and has been growing rapidly ever since.   About The Social Chain AG The integrated social media company The Social Chain AG combines social media and social commerce. Social Chain is a pioneer in the creation, development and scaling of social media brands. The company's headquarters are in Berlin with offices in Manchester, London, New York and Munich. The company has a total of around 500 employees. The Social Chain AG shares are traded on XETRA and several German stock exchanges. The content of this press release is for information purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or other recommendations pursuant to the German Securities Trading Act by The Social Chain AG or its affiliated companies. The information provided cannot replace investment advice. The information contained in this press release is not to be construed as an assurance of possible price developments and should not be construed as a request to enter into a transaction. The information contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to sell securities or rights, or a solicitation to trade in securities or rights. Accordingly, The Social Chain AG and its affiliates make no representations or commitments as to the accuracy, completeness or correctness of the information or opinions contained herein. We assume no liability for direct or indirect damages caused by and/or in connection with the distribution and/or use of this document. The statements correspond to the status at the time of the preparation of this document. They may become obsolete due to future developments without the document being changed. Contact: Jana Walker | Press [e-mail] 26.01.2021 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de

Language:	English
Company:	The Social Chain AG
	Gormannstraße 22
	10119 Berlin
	Germany
Phone:	[phone]
E-mail:	[e-mail]
Internet:	www.socialchain.com
ISIN:	DE000A1YC996
WKN:	A1YC99
Listed:	Regulated Unofficial Market in Dusseldorf
EQS News ID:	1163301

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1163301  26.01.2021