Esselte divests Letraset

Esselte divests Letraset Esselte divests its Graphic Art Business Letraset to a newly formed company, Letraset Ltd, a UK company owned by a Management Consortium. Letraset manufactures and distributes a broad range of products for the creative professional, including the Pantone Matching System. The divestment of Letraset will neither incur a significant capital gain nor a loss for Esselte. "Letraset products are well renowned within the graphic arts field. The divestment is in line with Esselte's strategy of focusing on its core office supplies product categories. Letraset will find a more natural home within Letraset Ltd" comments Anders Igel, President and CEO of Esselte. Esselte is the leading global office supplies manufacturer with annual sales exceeding SEK 11 billion, subsidiaries in 31 countries, selling office products in over 120 countries and employing more than 7,000 people. Esselte brings innovation, efficiency and style to the way people work in the office and at home. Our principal brands are: DYMO, Pendaflex, Leitz, Esselte and Curtis. Esselte AB is listed on the Stockholm and London stock exchanges. To learn more about Esselte, visit our website at www.esselte.com. For further information please contact: · Anders Igel, CEO +46 (0) 70 519 13 78 · Ulrik Svensson, CFO +44 (0) 1895 878 770 · Thomas Groth, IR +44 (0) 1895 878 983 · ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/06/19/20010619BIT00940/bit0003.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/06/19/20010619BIT00940/bit0003.pdf