Metro International S.A. ("Metro") today announced that it has received an offer
from its partner in France, TF1, to take control of 100 percent of the shares in
Metro France. The offer, which is consistent with the provisions of the existing
shareholders' agreement, is pending on the outcome of the due diligence. The
offer is expected to be signed within the coming weeks after consultation with
employee representatives.
Metro holds 65.7 percent of the shares in Metro France and the remaining 34.3
percent are held by TF1. Metro was launched in 2002 and is the second largest
daily newspaper in France. As a part of the transaction, Metro will continue the
franchise agreement with TF1 who will publish the newspaper. TF1 is the largest
broadcaster in France and views the transaction as an opportunity to expand its
offer of free news and entertainment in all media channels.
Per Mikael Jensen, President and CEO of Metro International, commented: "France
is an important market for international advertisers. However, profitability in
the free newspaper market has been under pressure. We have a long and
constructive partnership with TF1 and we are confident that the Metro newspaper
will develop strongly under their control. This deal would allow us to secure
the future for a Metro newspaper in France while remaining loyal to our overall
target of good margins in all our markets."
For further information please visit wwww.metro.lu or contact:
Per Mikael Jensen, President & CEO +44 78 4167 3230
Anders Kronborg, CFO +44 79 1254 0800
Linda Fors, Head of Investor Relations +46 704 15 95 30
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ABOUT METRO INTERNATIONAL AND METRO
Metro is the largest international newspaper in the world. Metro is published
in over 100 major cities in 20 countries across Europe, North & South America
and Asia. Metro has a unique global reach - attracting a young, active, well-
educated Metropolitan audience of 17 million daily readers.
Metro International S.A. shares are listed on Nasdaq OMX Stockholm through
Swedish Depository Receipts of series A and series B under the symbols MTROA and
MTROB.
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Metro International receives offer from TF1 for its stake in Metro France
| Source: Metro International S.A.