Holmen has now reached a definite agreement to acquire Papelera Peninsular
from the Spanish group Unipapel. The price corresponds to some MSEK 2,000
on a debt-free basis.
The acquisition requires the consent of the competition authority.
Papelera Peninsular owns a newsprint mill, that was commissioned two years
ago and is located just south of Madrid, and two associate companies for
collecting recovered paper.
The new newsprint machine is currently being brought up to its rated
capacity, which, after trimming, will amount to some 200,000 tonnes per
year. The entire production is based on recovered paper.
Holmen's President and CEO, Per Ericson, comments: "The acquisition is in
line with the Holmen Group's strategic direction, which involves growth
and development in newsprint and magazine paper. The acquisition will
enable us to further consolidate our already strong position as a leading
supplier to European newspaper publishers."