Esselte€s Definitive Report on 1999 Operations

Esselte's Definitive Report on 1999 Operations * Minor adjustments to the preliminary report * Loss per share SEK 0:30 lower than preliminarily reported * Proposed cash dividend SEK 2.00 per share Definitive Report on 1999 Operations Esselte's Board of Directors has adapted the audited financial statements for the 1999 fiscal year. The definitive report differs from the preliminary report as follows. The Income After Tax was SEK -231 million, a SEK 7 million improvement compared to that reported in the preliminary report, mainly due to adjustments in the tax calculation. The Balance Sheet was adjusted for the elimination of internal cash pools (affecting Financial Assets and Long and Short Term Debt by net SEK 17 million) and for the impact of deferred tax assets. As part of the Leitz acquisition, Esselte is holding 636,993 shares in the company iManage Inc. The company was listed on Nasdaq late 1999. The book value of the shares is SEK 7.5 million. As of February 15, the share ended trading at US $24.00. Esselte is required not to sell its stake before May 2000. The company's home page is www.iManage.com. As a result of the adjustments to the Income Statement and the Balance Sheet, shareholders Equity per share was SEK 75.80, SEK 0.10 less than preliminarily reported. Tables with summaries of the 1999 income statement, balance sheet and statement of changes in financial position, as well as key figures, are attached. Dividend After the divestments of Nielsen & Bainbridge and the dividend of Meto to Esselte's shareholders, the long term prospect for income per share has been reviewed by the Board of Directors. The dividend policy remains unchanged, i.e. the dividend will, over the long term, amount to approximately one third of income after tax. The Board of Directors proposes a cash dividend of SEK 2.00 per share (6.00). Annual General Meeting The Annual General Meeting will be held at the World Trade Center in Stockholm at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26, 2000. Financial Reporting The quarterly reports on operations for 2000 will be published as follows: January - March April 26 April - June July 21 July - September October 20 October - December January 2001 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: Anders Igel, CEO +44 1895 878711 or +44 7775 914 902 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/2000/02/16/20000216BIT00840/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/02/16/20000216BIT00840/bit0002.pdf