Torp Computing Group ASA

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INFORMATION MEMORANDUM
Merger of Komplett ASA and Torp Computing Group ASA
8.4.4 Ease of comparing prices
There are several free search services on the Internet specializing in price comparison. In addition,
moving from e-shop to e-shop to check prices is much easier than surveying prices in traditional
stores.
8.4.5 Novelty
When shopping on the Internet you have the possibility of purchasing unique products not available
in your town or country.
8.4.6 Surging broadband deployment
The consumer broadband market has been growing at an explosive rate. In Europe, this is
primarily driven by xDSL deployment. The share of households that have installed broadband
reached 55% in Norway and 49% in Sweden by the end of 2006, according to the national
telecommunication bureaus. It is expected that broadband growth will continue for the next few
years, but penetration growth will slow down considerably when it approaches 60-70% of
households. The advantages of broadband tend to boost overall Internet usage and make activities
such as e-commerce more convenient.
8.5 Strong potential for further growth
As e-commerce’s share of retail sales is only about 3.2%, there should be no short-term limitations
to further growth, as a significant part of the population has still never tried e-commerce, or only
uses e-commerce to a limited extent. However, note that certain products are unsuitable for sale
through the Internet, which will limit long-term potential. The share of total trade within segments
suited to e-commerce, such as books and PC equipment, is higher than for the total market.
The Company is not aware of statistics for the Norwegian or the European market that are
equivalent to US e-commerce statistics. However, data from Statistics Norway illustrate strong
growth for e-commerce in this country. According to Statistics Norway, Internet-based sales by
Norwegian businesses, with at least 10 employees, have grown from about NOK 9 billion in 1999 to
about NOK 100 billion in 2005 or about 6 percent of total sales.
According to a survey by Opinion on behalf of Komplett in 2005, 50% of respondents said they had
bought books, PC equipment and films over the Internet in the past year. Furthermore, an even
higher proportion of respondents said they planned to buy those articles over the Internet in the
next 12 months.