Clas Ohlson sales development in December

Sales rose 6% in December to SEK 925 M (876). In local currencies, sales increased 5%. Compared with the same month in 2011, 16 stores have been added and the total number of stores on December 31 2011 was 152. Mail order/Internet sales during the month was SEK 14 M (12).

Sales channels (SEK M):

Countries                                        Percentage             Percentage change,
                                                           change:                   local currency:

Sweden                416 (416)                       +0%                +0%

Norway               381 (346)                     +10%                +8%

Finland                  85  (72)                     +18%              +19%

UK                         43   (42)                      +3%                +3%

Total sales during the first eight months (May-December 2011) increased by 6% to SEK 4,501 M (4,227).

The Q3-report for 2011/12 will be published on March 8 2012.

For more information please contact:

Klas Balkow, CEO and President: +46 (0)247-447 55

John Womack, Director Information & IR: +46 (0)70-678 24 99

Clas Ohlson AB is a Swedish chain store that sells, amongst other things, hardware, electrical, multimedia, and home and leisure products. It is the largest hardware chain in Scandinavia. The company was founded in 1918 by the technically-minded Clas Ohlson (1895–1979), as a mail order business based in the Swedish village of Insjön, Dalarna. Initially, only manuals and technical literature were sold. He opened his first shop in Insjön in 1926 and there are now stores throughout Sweden, as well as in Norway and Finland. In 2008, the company opened its first store in the United Kingdom, in Croydon, south London. There are now stores at the Arndale Centre in Manchester, at The Harlequin in Watford, in Kingston upon Thames, Reading, Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham, Cardiff, Doncaster and Norwich.

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