16th Feb 2006 09:00
Imperial Tobacco Group PLC16 February 2006 February 16, 2006 IMPERIAL TOBACCO GROUP ACQUIRES NORWEGIAN DISTRIBUTION COMPANY Imperial Tobacco Group PLC today announced the acquisition of Gunnar StenbergA.S., the Norwegian distributor of tobacco products and accessories. Theunaudited gross asset value of the business at December 31, 2005, was £10million and the consideration is not material in the context of Imperial TobaccoGroup. Gunnar Stenberg distributes a range of products in Norway, including rollingpapers, cigarettes, fine cut tobacco, snus, and filter tubes. Gunnar Stenbergalready distributes Rizla rolling papers in Norway and the acquisition willprovide the opportunity to launch other Imperial Tobacco Group brands in theNorwegian market. The acquisition follows Imperial Tobacco Group's purchase of a 43% stake in theSwedish snus manufacturer Skruf in September 2005, with a commitment to purchasethe balance of the shares by mid-2009. Gareth Davis, Chief Executive of Imperial Tobacco Group, said: "We are delightedwith the acquisition of Gunnar Stenberg, which enhances our geographic footprintand further strengthens our competitive position in Scandinavia." ENDS For further information contact: Alex Parsons Group Media Relations Manager +44 (0) 117 933 7241Simon Evans Group Media Relations Executive +44 (0) 117 933 7375John Nelson-Smith Investor Relations Manager +44 (0) 117 933 7032 Notes to editors: Imperial Tobacco Group is the world's fourth largest international tobaccocompany. The Group manufactures and sells a comprehensive range of cigarettes,tobaccos, rolling papers and cigars in 130 countries worldwide. It currently has15,000 employees and 32 manufacturing sites. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
Imperial Brands