Clas Ohlson will open a new store in central Manchester on 30 April. The store is Clas Ohlson’s second in the UK and the next step in the company ongoing expansion in this market. During the 2009/10 financial year, an additional four to eight stores are planned in the UK. The new store is located in the Arndale Shopping Centre in central Manchester. The shopping centre has about 240 stores and more than 39 million visitors each year. The store area comprises about 2,500 square meters. “British people are just as interested as us in the Nordic region in fixing various things in their homes. Our broad range of products that solve small, practical problems in everyday life satisfies these interests and needs. We were well received by residents of Croydon in London and believe that the reception in Manchester will be equally positive,” says Peter Jelkeby, Director of Operations at Clas Ohlson. The opening in Manchester will take place in the traditional manner and include folk musicians from Dalarna, Sweden, who will entertain the new Clas Ohlson customers during the opening day. Among the thousands of products in the product range, there are a number of somewhat unusual products, such as a scrubbing glove for root vegetables, plastic drain cleaner, battery testers and, not least, painted Dalecarlian horses in various sizes available for sale. About 40 employees will work in the store. In preparation, they participated in an introductory programme on location in Insjön in Dalarna that included training in the company’s history, company culture, product knowledge and service. The new employees then received practical training in Clas Ohlson’s store in Croydon, London. Photos from the introduction program in Insjön are available at: http://www.clasohlson.co.uk/Template/Template1.aspx?id=58323223 For further information, contact: John Womack, Director of Information and Investor Relations, tel: +46 70 678 24 99