Rautakesko opens new K-rauta stores in Võru, Estonia and Göteborg, Sweden

23 april 2008 RAUTAKESKO LTD PRESS RELEASE 23.04.2008 AT 11.15 1(2)   Rautakesko opens the sixth K-rauta in Estonia today and the 19th K-rauta in Sweden tomorrow.   K-rauta Võru is the largest building and home improvement store in southeastern Estonia both in terms of area and product selection. The total area is 5,400 square metres and there are 20,000 building supplies, interior decoration and gardening products available for customers. K-rauta Võru received 550 job applications. The new store generated 30 new jobs in the locality and the new store manager is Jaak Niidu, who has previously headed E-Ehituskeskus in Võru.   "Most people choose to renovate their homes themselves. We want to offer them good service and a wide selection of products outside largest cities, too. Rautakesko aims to be the first choice for both business and private customers," says Alo Ivask, Managing Director of Rautakesko AS.   Two more stores will also be opened in Estonia this year: one in Rakvere and one in Kuressaare. Furthermore, the stores now operating under the name of K-rautakesko will be renamed K-rauta stores.   K-rauta Partille to be opened in Göteborg tomorrow is the 19th K-rauta in Sweden. The store manager of Partille is Ulrika Bergqvist, who joins Rautakesko from Silvan Bygg i Borås.   The DIY market in Göteborg is growing at a very fast rate. The growth is expected to increase by 50% during the year 2008. According to Industrifakta, home renovators are anticipated to spend over 100 million euros in DIY products in Göteborg.   "The store location is excellent. Also, the district is undergoing a very growth-oriented period and there is a high demand for housing construction," confirms Store Manager Ulrika Bergqvist.   The fourth K-rauta in Stockholm was opened in Kungens Kurva last week. After these openings, there are 41 K-rauta stores in Finland, 19 in Sweden, 6 in Estonia, 9 in Latvia and 8 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The number of new K-rauta stores opened or to be opened in 2008 will total 12.    Further information: Alo Ivask, Managing Director, Rautakesko AS, Estonia, tel. +372 501 1564 Raul Kadaru, Region Director, Baltic countries and Russia, Rautakesko, tel. +372 507 9696 Jani Jylhä, Managing Director, K-rauta AB, Sweden, tel. +46 70 431 6960 Jarmo Turunen, Region Director, Sweden and Norway, Rautakesko, tel. +358 50 3283498   K-rauta stores (www.k-rauta.com) meet the customer demand for safe ideas and solutions for building and living. K-rauta stores operate in the Nordic and Baltic countries, and Russia.   Rautakesko (www.rautakesko.com) is engaged in the building and home improvement trade through the K-rauta, Rautia, Byggmakker and Senukai retail chains. Rautakesko manages its chains, combines their purchasing power, arranges efficient logistics, acquires store sites and guarantees strong marketing and development support to the stores. Rautakesko operates in the Nordic and Baltic countries, Russia, and Belarus.