BERTRANGE, Luxembourg, Jan. 9, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Metro International S.A. (Nasdaq:MTROA) (Nasdaq:MTROB), the international newspaper group, today announced that Metro Stockholm now reaches a record high of 576,000 readers in Stockholm after the readership increased by 3% year on year, according to the independent readership survey published by Research International - SIFO 'Orvesto'. Metro also set a new readership record in Sweden by increasing its number of daily readers to 1,110,000, up from 1,096,000 at the end of 2001.
The Research International - SIFO 'Orvesto' survey is conducted three times a year and the latest numbers are for the period from September to December 2002. Metro's three editions in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo have added 14,000 readers since the same period in 2001.
Pelle Tornberg, President & CEO of Metro International, commented: "This survey demonstrates the popularity of the Metro concept, which continues to grow in Sweden. The survey also underlines our clear leadership in the morning newspaper market in Sweden."
Pelle Tornberg, President & CEO +44 (0) 207016 1300 Matthew Hooper, Investor & Press Relations 44 (0) 207321 5010 For further information, please visit www.metro.lu info@metro.lu
Metro is the world's largest free newspaper, publishing and distributing 25 editions in 16 countries in 14 languages: Stockholm, Prague, Gothenburg, Hungary, the Netherlands, Helsinki, Malmo, Santiago, Philadelphia, Toronto, Rome, Milan, Warsaw, Athens, Montreal, Barcelona, Boston, Madrid, Copenhagen, Aarhus, Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Hong Kong and Seoul.
Metro International S.A. 'A' and 'B' shares are listed on NASDAQ and the Stockholmsborsen under the symbols MTROA and MTROB.
This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" with respect to our expectations and plans, strategy, management's objectives, future performance, costs, revenues, earnings and other trend information. It is important to note that our actual results in the future could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements depending on various important factors. Please refer to the documents we have filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including our most recent annual report on Form 20-F, for a discussion of certain of these factors.
All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us on the date hereof. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Metro International S.A, any Metro International S.A. members or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the factors referred to above. We do not intend to update these forward-looking statements.
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