The Dutch group AEGON has announced the purchase of LJC PENNEY DIRECT MARKETING, direct marketing subsidiary of the American retailing group JC PENNEY for $1.3 bn. Through this operation, AEGON will become the United States' largest direct marketing company in the life insurance and supplementary sickness insurance sectors. AEGON has also announced exceptional results for 2000 with its net profit up by 32% to 2.06 bn euro and a turnover up over the previous year by 37% to 30.7 bn euro.