Leipurin listing preparations proceeding, target to complete listing during Q4

Aspo Plc    STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE  September 24, 2014 at 14.00

LEIPURIN LISTING PREPARATIONS PROCEEDING, TARGET TO COMPLETE LISTING DURING Q4

Aspo Plc's ("Aspo") Board of Directors will propose an Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting to be summoned later during 2014. The Board of Directors will propose that the Shareholders' Meeting would authorise the Board of Directors to pay an extra dividend in Leipurin's shares or in cash or combination of these two during 2014.

Aspo has expressed earlier its intention to review the preconditions for listing Leipurin Ltd ("Leipurin") on the Nasdaq OMX Helsinki ("the Helsinki Stock Exchange"). Preparations to list Leipurin on the Helsinki Stock Exchange have proceeded as planned, and Aspo aims to list Leipurin on the Helsinki Stock Exchange during the fourth quarter of 2014.

The planned initial public offering includes the share issue of Leipurin and the sale of Leipurin's shares by Aspo to the public in Finland and to institutional investors in Finland and abroad. In addition, as a part of the initial public offering of Leipurin, Aspo Board of Directors plans to distribute Leipurin's shares as dividends to Aspo's shareholders. Aspo will remain a minority shareholder of Leipurin.

Final decisions on the listing process and filing the application for making the shares of Leipurin available for public trading on the stock exchange list will be made during the fourth quarter of 2014 according to Aspo's original schedule, depending on the market situation, the final results of the analysis and other factors associated with the listing decision.

Pohjola Bank Plc is acting as the advisor in the analysis process for the listing, and it will act as the lead manager of the initial public offering if the initial public offering is completed. Attorneys at law Borenius Ltd acts as the legal advisor in the initial public offering. Ernst & Young Oy acts as the auditor of Aspo and Leipurin.

ASPO Plc

Board of Directors


Further information:
Aki Ojanen, CEO Aspo Plc, +358 9 521 4010, +358 400 106 592, aki.ojanen@aspo.com


DISTRIBUTION:
NASDAQ OMX Helsinki
Key media
www.aspo.fi

Aspo is a conglomerate that owns and develops business operations in northern Europe and emerging markets, focusing on demanding B-to-B customers. Our strong company brands -  ESL Shipping, Leipurin, Telko and Kaukomarkkinat -  aim to be the market leaders in their sectors. They are responsible for their own operations, customer relationships and the development of these. Together they generate Aspo's goodwill. Aspo's Group structure and business operations are continually developed without any predefined schedules. 


DISCLAIMER:

The information contained in this stock exchange release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities referred to herein. Any potential decision to invest in the securities mentioned herein, either through subscription or purchase, shall be exclusively based on the prospectus published in connection with such offer, and not on this stock exchange release.

The information contained herein is not for publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore or Japan or any other jurisdiction in which the distribution or release would be unlawful. This release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States, nor may the securities be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration as provided in the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder. The company does not intend to register any portion of the possible offering in the United States or to conduct a public offering of securities in the United States.

This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Aspo Oyj via Globenewswire
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