First World Cup Title for PUMA
The Sportlifestyle brand at the Football WC 2006


For the first time in the company history, a PUMA sponsored national team (Italy) has won the World Cup Final. The contract between PUMA and the Italian Football Federation has been signed in 2003 and was renewed in November 2005 beyond the Football World Cup in 2014.

“Italy’s victory epitomizes the incredibly successful World Cup that we have had”, says Rajiv Mehta, PUMA M.D. “It is estimated, that the football performance turnover rose by approximately 40% compared to 2005”, he comments. The brand visibility at this Word Cup has not only strengthened, but clearly expanded PUMA’s position as one of the top 3 football brands in the world.

PUMA will now produce new kits with four World Cup Stars, which will be available in PUMA Concept Stores. Furthermore, PUMA will start an international advertisement campaign, congratulating the Italian team to their World Cup victory.

“It is a perfect platform considering the fact that the European Cup in 2008 takes place in Austria and Switzerland, both hosts being sponsored by PUMA. For the World Cup 2010 in South Africa, we will once again be the most dominant brand in African Football. With the Italians as one of the top favourites, we will enter the World Cup in South Africa with a World Champion”, says Rajiv Mehta.

About PUMA:
PUMA® is the global sports brand which successfully combines influences from the world of sport, lifestyle and fashion. With its unique orientation, Puma delivers the unexpected in terms of sporting lifestyle in shoes and boots, textiles and accessories by means of technical innovations and revolutionary design. PUMA was founded in 1948 in Herzogenaurach, and today markets its products in more than 80 countries. You can
find further details on the PUMA home page at www.puma.com.

Blue Dart Express Limited, South Asia's largest integrated air express courier and package distribution company, declared its financial results for the quarter ended June 30th 2006 at their Board Meeting.

The Company posted a Rs. 11.12 crore profit after tax for the quarter ended June 30, 2006, compared to Rs. 10.40 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2005. Income from operations for the 2nd quarter 2006 was Rs. 157.35 crore, an increase of 21.60% over the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

Malcolm Monteiro, Managing Director, Blue Dart Express Ltd., said, "This quarter we have focused on strengthening and expanding our air infrastructure with a view to support India's future economic growth and increasing demand for distribution. Two Boeing 757-200 freighters have been inducted into our existing fleet of five Boeing 737-200s, taking our air capacity to 250 tonnes per night across 60 route connections. This provides Blue Dart's distribution network with an enhanced capability, giving us a major edge in the time-critical express market. We are the only express service provider in the country that has the capability to accommodate such large volumes and dimensions on a single aircraft, directly benefiting our customers."

A seventh aviation hub has been added in Ahmedabad for dedicated access and service to the growing Gujarat region, and the Hyderabad outbound gateway has been connected. This facilitates faster and more reliable shipment of larger loads into and from these regions, connecting them to the major metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore which together account for 90% of the air cargo distribution across the country. Today, we are the only ones in the country with a delivery capability encompassing the entire range of services: express both domestic and international (through our alliance with global leader, DHL), air freight, ground and charters." He added.