Svenska Handelsbanken’s Pension Foundation: Acquisition, conversion and sale of shares in Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget, SCA (publ)

NOT FOR PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR RELEASE, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA OR JAPAN

Svenska Handelsbanken’s Pension Foundation (the Pension Foundation) has today acquired 15,145,124 class A shares in Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget, SCA (publ), corresponding to 2.1 per cent of the capital and 10.3 per cent of the voting rights. The entire block of shares was acquired from Svenska Handelsbanken AB.

After the acquisition, the Pension Foundation divested 15,145,124 class B shares in SCA, in a sales process to Swedish and international investors. The price was SEK 244 per class B share. As part of the sale, the Pension Foundation requested of SCA that 12,251,248 class A shares be converted into class B shares.

Through this acquisition, the Pension Foundation has increased its voting power in SCA without increasing its exposure. Following these transactions, it owns 3,050,876 class A shares in SCA, corresponding to 0.4 per cent of the capital and 2.3 per cent of the voting rights.

For further information, please contact:

Håkan Sandberg, Svenska Handelsbanken’s Pension Foundation, +46 8 22 92 20,
Marie Dahlgren Egenäs, Svenska Handelsbanken’s Pension Foundation, +46 8 701 1000

Important Notice

This announcement is not for publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States of America. This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an applicable exemption from registration. No public offering of securities is being made in the United States.

MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING OF SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND ANY OFFER OF SECURITIES TO WHICH IT RELATES ARE ONLY ADDRESSED TO AND DIRECTED AT (1) IN ANY MEMBER STATE OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA, PERSONS WHO ARE QUALIFIED INVESTORS WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(1)(E) OF EU DIRECTIVE 2003/71/EC AND ANY RELEVANT IMPLEMENTING MEASURES (THE "PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE"); AND (2) IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, PERSONS WHO (I) HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS WHO FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005 (AS AMENDED) (THE "ORDER"); OR (II) FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) OF THE ORDER OR (III) ARE PERSONS TO WHOM AN OFFER OF THE PLACING SHARES MAY OTHERWISE LAWFULLY BE MADE (ALL SUCH PERSONS REFERRED TO IN (1) AND (2) TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS"). THE INFORMATION REGARDING THE PLACING SET OUT IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS.

This announcement and the information contained herein is for information purposes only and does not constitute or form part of any offer of, or the solicitation of an offer to acquire or dispose of securities in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan or in any other jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is unlawful.

No prospectus or offering document has been or will be prepared in connection with the placing of securities referred to herein. Any investment decision to buy securities in the placing must be made solely on the basis of publicly available information. Such information is not the responsibility of and has not been independently verified by the seller, its advisors or their respective affiliates.