EAST CAPITAL AWARDS EASTERN EUROPE'S MOST SUCCESSFUL COMPANIES FOR 2008
East Capital today announced the winners of the 2008 East Capital Awards to three of Eastern Europe's most successful companies. This year's winners are Russian mobile operator Vimpelcom for Best Growth, Slovenia Bank Nova Kreditna Banka Maribor for Best IPO and Croatian consumer healthcare producer and distributor Atlantic Grupa for Discovery of the Year.
Commenting on the awards, Peter Elam Håkansson, Chairman of East Capital said: "We are constantly exploring Eastern Europe and every year our fund managers and analysts visit more than 500 companies. Some of the companies in which we invest are performing exceptionally well and are creating growth in Eastern Europe.”
"We believe in the long-term growth of the region and are pleased to recognise the most outstanding companies that take an active part in the region's development," Peter Elam Håkansson said.
The award for Best Growth is presented to the company that has demonstrated the best growth in sales, assets and profit margins in recent years. Best IPO is awarded to the company that has carried out the most successful flotation in the region. East Capital Discovery of the Year is awarded to the company that is deemed to have unique results and performance.
Winners of the East Capital Awards 2008
Vimpelcom - Best Growth Award 2008
Vimpelcom has been chosen due to its high growth in the Russian mobile operator industry. In the second quarter of 2008, earnings per share grew by 31%. Vimpelcom has also introduced 3G networks in four Russian cities which might be a potential new growth driver with services including mobile broadband.
Nova Kreditna Banka Maribor - Best IPO Award 2008
Nova Kreditna Banka Maribor has been chosen due to the successful IPO carried out in December 2007 on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange. The IPO was the largest ever and 5.4 times oversubscribed. The stock price showed good performance after the IPO, up 36% on the first day of trading and 39% after three months of trading.
Atlantic Grupa - Discovery of the Year Award 2008
Atlantic Grupa has grown to a leading sports food producer in Europe. Atlantic Grupa also has the leading private chain of pharmacies in Croatia and is one of the largest distributors of fast moving consumer goods in Southeastern Europe.
East Capital's Awards are held annually to recognise the best companies in Eastern Europe. This year's winners will receive their awards at a gala presentation dinner held at The Grand Hotel in Stockholm this evening.
For further information about the winning companies, please visit:
Vimpelcom - Best Growth Award 2008
www.vimpelcom.com
Nova Kreditna Banka Maribor - Best IPO Award 2008
www.nkbm.si/defaulteng.aspx
Atlantic Grupa - Discovery of the Year Award 2008
www.atlantic.hr/en/
Contact information:
Vesna Lucca, Head of Communications East Capital, +46 70 601 92 20,
vesna.lucca@eastcapital.com
About East Capital
East Capital is a leading independent asset manager specialising in Eastern European financial markets. Basing its investment strategy on thorough knowledge of the markets, fundamental analysis and frequent company visits by its investment teams, East Capital actively manages EUR 3.2bn in the East Capital Universe, which spans 29 countries and encompasses more than 400 million people. East Capital has its headquarters in Stockholm, with offices in Paris, Tallinn, Moscow, Oslo, Hong Kong, Milan and Vienna.