Esselte divests small sales and marketing company

Esselte divests small sales and marketing company Continuing the process of focussing its business on core product categories, Esselte has divested its custom made product sales and marketing company, Wensbo, of Malmö, Sweden. This operation was acquired by Specialplast Gislaved AB of Sweden. The product line consists of custom made binders and related products. Wensbo has an annual turnover of SEK 24 m and 5 employees. The transaction resulted in a small capital gain. "Over the last 15 months, Esselte has divested eight small office products subsidiaries, including Wensbo. These divestment activities form part of our ongoing strategy to focus Esselte's business on product areas where we are or can be number one or two" commented Anders Igel, President and CEO. Esselte is the leading provider of office supplies world-wide. A global group with annual sales exceeding 11bn SEK, subsidiaries in 31 countries, selling office products in over 100 countries and employing over 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 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: Mats Lönnqvist, CFO+44 1895 878770 or +46 705 915 563 From Sweden, alternatively 020 021 4796 ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/02/14/20000214BIT00670/bit0001.pdf http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/02/14/20000214BIT00670/bit0002.doc