Year-end Report for 2009

Year-end Report for 2009

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                                  Quarter                    Full year
    MSEK                    4-09    3-09    4-08            2009    2008
Net turnover               4 659   4 387   5 043          18 071  19 334
Operating profit*            392     442     284           1 620   1 051
Profit after tax             225     280     271           1 006     642
Earnings per share, SEK      2.7     3.3     3.2            12.0     7.6
Return on equity, %          5.5     7.0     6.9             6.4     3.9

* The operating profit for full year 2008 includes items affecting comparability
of cost SEK 361 million. 

-	Profit after tax for 2009 was SEK 1 006 million (2008: SEK 642 million).

-	Earnings per share were SEK 12.0 (7.6). Return on equity totalled 6.4 per cent
(3.9).

-	The Board proposes a lowered dividend of SEK 7 (9) per share.

-	Operating profit for 2009 amounted to SEK 1 620 (1 051) million. The result of
2008 included items affecting comparability which totalled cost SEK 361 million.
Higher newsprint and paperboard prices improved profit. Weak demand led to
considerable production curtailments, which had a negative effect on the result.
In the fourth quarter, operating profit reached SEK 392 million, which was SEK
50 million lower than during the third quarter of 2009. The quarter includes
seasonally higher costs as well as provisions and write-downs of SEK 125
million. The earnings trend for all business areas, except for Holmen Paper, was
positive.

-	Demand was weak in the Group's product areas during the year. In Europe demand
for newsprint fell by 14 per cent and for virgin fibre board by 9 per cent
compared to 2008.


For further information please contact:

Magnus Hall, President and CEO, tel. +46 8 666 21 05
Anders Almgren, CFO, tel. +46 8 666 21 16
Ingela Carlsson, Public Relations Director, tel. +46 8 666 21 15