Munich, 2 July 2007 - The technology group The Linde Group has concluded the sale of its packaged gases business with retail stores in the United States to the industrial gases company Airgas Inc. at an enterprise value of 310 million US dollars. Following the receipt of unconditional approval from the antitrust authorities, the transaction was completed at the close of business June 30, 2007. Linde will retain certain packaged gases accounts related to its independent distributors, including acetylene production sites and filling plants.

The business divested had sales of 346 million US dollars and EBITDA of around 36 million US dollars in the financial year 2006, with a workforce of approximately 1,400.

By this transaction Linde optimized its portfolio focusing on customer segments in the US with a higher content of application technology.

The Linde Group is a world-leading industrial gases, medical gases and engineering company with around 49,000 employees working in more than 70 countries worldwide. Following the acquisition of The BOC Group plc, the company has gases and engineering sales of around 12 billion euro per annum. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.