Interim report January - June 2003 for the Scribona Group

Interim report January - June 2003 for the Scribona Group Strong end to quarter with weak demand · Second quarter sales dropped to MSEK 2,689 (3,196), mainly due to lower market prices and continued weak demand. · According to preliminary market statistics Scribona increased its market shares in the main segments. · Operating income for the second quarter reached MSEK -21 (5) and the loss after tax was MSEK -25 (-8). Operating income for the first six months amounted to MSEK -39 (19) and the loss after tax was MSEK -45 (0). · Earnings per share for the first six months amounted to SEK - 0.88 (0.00). · During the period Scribona further strengthened its market position through an agreement for the takeover of IFS's Nordic hardware segment. President's comments - The quarter was weak in terms of profit, but nonetheless included a few bright spots. The quarter ended strong, particularly for infrastructure products where we are noting an increased willingness to invest. Gross profit margins improved in all business areas, at the same time that our internal efficiency program is starting to bear fruit. - During the quarter, the market situation was further aggravated by a sharp decrease in PC market prices resulting from a weaker US dollar and fierce competition between PC manufacturers. In this weak market Scribona's market shares in the PC segment continued to improve, with the exception of agency operations for Toshiba's laptop computers. In the market for document management products, we have achieved positive development with good profitability in spite of a shrinking market. - Although we have increased the sales volume in units sold, our monetary sales have declined as a result of price erosion for PC products. FINANCIAL CALENDAR Interim report for January-September 2003 30 October 2003 Year-end report for January-December 2003 12 February 2004 This interim report has not been subject to special review by the company's auditors. Scribona AB The Board of Directors Facts about Scribona Scribona is the Nordic market's leading provider of IT products and solutions, offering customers cutting-edge product expertise, the industry's leading e-commerce system, optimized product availability and a broad range of complementary services. Scribona's operations are organized in three business areas: · Scribona Solutions - value adding distribution of IT infrastructure · Scribona Distribution - effective volume distribution of IT products · Scribona Brand Alliance - exclusive agent for leading brand suppliers Address: Scribona AB, Sundbybergsvägen 1, Box 1374, SE-171 27 SOLNA. The company's registered office is located in Solna, Sweden. This report is also available at www.scribona.com For additional information, please contact: Tom Ekevall Larsen, President & CEO, telephone +46-(0)8-734 36 50 Örjan Rebeling, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, telephone +46-(0)8-734 34 88 Anders Bley, Executive Vice President, telephone +46-(0)8-734 35 55 ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2003/07/15/20030715BIT00300/wkr0001.doc The full report http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2003/07/15/20030715BIT00300/wkr0002.pdf The full report