Milan, June 2008 - Artemide Group S.p.A. acquires the majority share of Nord Light S.p.A.: the skills of Artemide are enhanced in one of the most promising sectors of the lighting world, the sector of LED (Light Emitting Diode), the innovative lighting source that is becoming more and more widespread due to its limited size, long life, low energy consumption, and very high yield, and is increasingly appreciated as the "light of the future" for its sustainability and flexible use, both for home and architectural applications.

"In the past few years the lighting sector has been characterized by a strong growth of appliances based on the LED technology," says Ernesto Gismondi, President of Artemide Group S.p.A. "With the acquisition of NORD LIGHT, the range of ARTEMIDE products based on LED sources is completed with the offering of technical appliances capable to satisfy the most demanding customers." For some time now, Artemide has been using LEDs for its decorative lamps, among which Itis, designed by Naoto Fukasawa, which received the reddot design award in 2007.

Based in the neighbourhood of Florence, Nord Light is a company specialized in architectural lighting, where it is a leading supplier of solutions based on LED appliances. Nord Light technologies support designers and meet their requirements in an optimal way. Nord Light has conceived and implemented lighting-technique solutions for remarkable projects, including the Scene Tower of the Alla Scala Theatre of Milan (Architect Mario Botta), the Boscolo New York Hotel Palace in Budapest (Architect M. Iosa Ghini), the offices of Medio Credito Centrale in Rome (U.R.S. Nord Light), the Dubai Airport (Architect Light Cibles). Very important applications in the retail sector include projects for Gucci and Prada, among others. "Our integration within the ARTEMIDE Group opens up great international perspectives for NORD LIGHT," says Rualdo Martini, founder and President of Nord Light."We are happy to contribute to the development of a true global excellence pole in Made in Italy lighting."

"The acquisition of Nord Light perfectly fits into the strategy of ARTEMIDE for leadership in high-end lighting," says Luciano Iannuzzi, CEO of Artemide Group S.p.A. "Our positionion the Architectural market is strengthened and our international competitiveness is increased in the widely expanding segmentt of LEDs. The acquisition of NORD LIGHT will also allow us to offer new top-level products and innovative lighting-technique solutions to professional customers, particularly in the hotel and retail sector."

Nord Light SpA employs a staff of about 30 people, mostly dedicated to the design of lighting-technique solutions, and achieved a turnover of more than 5.2 million EUR in 2007.