Laval, Quebec, March 31, 2010 – The Board of Directors of Savaria Corporation (TSX: SIS), Canada’s leader in the accessibility industry, declared its largest dividend ever today.
Drawing on a solid financial balance sheet due notably to healthy and efficient management, the Corporation is thus positioned to declare a dividend of 8.4 cents ($0.084) per common share, payable on April 27, 2010 to shareholders of record of the Corporation at the close of business on April 13, 2010. This is an eligible dividend within the meaning of the Income Tax Act.
“Obviously, we are very pleased to provide our shareholders with the benefits of our recent efforts. Despite a challenging global economic context, the ongoing implementation of our strategic plan, combined with the optimization of our resources, allow us today to declare a dividend of this size, a record high for Savaria,” indicated Marcel Bourassa, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation.
Savaria Corporation (savaria.com) is Canada’s leader and the second largest personal mobility company in North America responding to the needs of people with mobility challenges. Savaria designs, manufactures and distributes primarily elevators for residential and commercial use, as well as stairlifts and inclined platform lifts. Through its subsidiary Van-Action, Savaria converts and adapts automotive vehicles for the disabled and offers scooters and motorized wheelchairs as well. Its line of products, one of the world’s most comprehensive, enables Savaria to stand out by proposing an integrated and customized solution for its disabled and elderly customers’ mobility needs. Its operations in China have substantially grown since 2006 and the collaboration with the two other Canadian facilities increases the Corporation’s competitive edge on the market. Savaria records approximately 60% of its sales outside Canada, primarily in the United States. The Corporation has a network of some 600 retailers in North America and employs more than 400 people at its head office in Laval and at its plants in Ville Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Brampton, Ontario and Huizhou, China.