Swedish Match shareholders approve dividend hike to 2.50 SEK

Major items approved by today’s Annual General Meeting include:

- Dividend will increase from 2.10 SEK/share to 2.50 SEK

- Election of Conny Karlsson as new Chairman of the Board

- Election of Charles A. Blixt and John P. Bridendall to the Board

- Mandate to repurchase up to 10 percent of all shares in the Company prolonged

- 13 million shares repurchased by the Company are authorized to be withdrawn


At the Annual General Meeting of Swedish Match on 23 April, it was resolved in accordance with the proposal of the Board of Directors to pay a dividend per share of 2.50 SEK. The record date for the dividend entitlement was set at 26 April, 2007. The dividend is expected to be distributed on 2 May, 2007, through VPC.

Shareholders have re-elected Andrew Cripps, Sven Hindrikes, Arne Jurbrant, Conny Karlsson, Kersti Strandqvist and Meg Tivéus to the Board of Directors, and elected Charles A. Blixt and John P. Bridendall as new members to the Board of Directors. Conny Karlsson was elected new Chairman of the Board.

Furthermore, the shareholders approved a mandate to repurchase up to 10 percent of all shares in the Company for a maximum amount of 3,000 MSEK. In addition, the shareholders also approved an authorization for a reduction of 13,000,000 previously repurchased shares, with a simultaneous capitalization issue in an amount corresponding to the number of cancelled shares or 18,084,644.37 SEK. The shareholders also approved that the reduction will be allocated to a fund for use in repurchasing the Company’s own shares.

In addition, shareholders approved all other proposals made by the Board of Directors and the Nominating Committee as outlined in the published notice of the Annual General Meeting for Swedish Match AB.