Etelä-Saimaan Sanomalehti Oy, part of SanomaWSOY Group’s Sanoma Lehtimedia, hasdivested the business operations of Etelä-Karjalan Jakelu Oy to Finland Post. The deal will beeffective as of 1 September 2005. Etelä-Karjalan Jakelu is in charge of delivery of theLappeenranta-based daily Etelä-Saimaa and other morning papers in the Southern Karelia region.The deal will not affect the schedules of post deliveries.
The purpose of Sanoma Lehtimedia is to ensure continuing quality delivery ofmorning papers, which is a major factor in competition among the Finnish press. Selling of deliveryoperations to the leading company in the field in Finland will improve the possibilities todevelop delivery quality and efficiency in the Southern Karelia region. Sanoma Lehtimedia willcontinue to co-operate closely with Finland Post in matters concerning early delivery of newspapersin the Lappeenranta region. “ We consider that the development of delivery in the Lappeenranta region isbest when in the ownership of Finland Post. The deal will create a new basis for the development ofdelivery operations. The purpose is to secure cost-efficient delivery operations keeping the priceof the paper at a competitive level”, says Antti Mäkelä, President of SanomaLehtimedia. “Some years ago, Sanoma outsourced Leijonajakelu to Finland Post. Selling ofEtelä-Karjalan Jakelu is a logical step to continue on the same path with favourable experiences.We will focus on Sanoma’s core business, making of newspapers”, says Mikael Pentikäinen, Presidentof Sanoma Corporation.
The deal is in line with SanomaWSOY’s strategy to focus on its core business anddivest non-core businesses. The employees of Etelä-Karjalan Jakelu will continue at Finland Post and theiremployment benefits earned so far will remain unchanged. Etelä-Karjalan Jakelu’s net sales amounted to EUR 3.2 million in 2004. Itemploys 120 persons delivering papers. Sanoma Lehtimedia comprises the dailies Etelä-Saimaa,Kouvolan Sanomat and Kymen Sanomat, the free sheets Lappeenrantalainen and Kaupunkilehti Seiska, aswell as the local papers Uutisvuoksi (in Imatra), Anjalankosken Sanomat, Pitäjänuutiset (inMäntyharju), Kaakonkulma (in Virolahti), Joutseno, and Luumäen lehti. Sanoma Lehtimedia is part of the Sanoma division of the SanomaWSOYGroup.
