Kesko's corporate governance practices the best in Finland for a third successive time

KESKO CORPORATION PRESS RELEASE 26.03.2013 AT 11.00 1(1)

Kesko has been awarded by World Finance Magazine for 'the Best Corporate Governance in Finland' in terms of corporate governance development and reporting. The international comparison listed companies which significantly exceed the minimum governance standards and report on their operating practices openly and transparently. Kesko was the winner in Finland also in 2011 and 2012.

World Finance awarded the best companies from a total of 49 countries. In addition to Kesko, the awarded companies included Continental AG (Germany), Royal Philips Electronics (the Netherlands), Samsung (South-Korea) and GlaxoSmithKline (Great Britain).

According to the Kesko Group's General Counsel, Vice President Anne Leppälä-Nilsson, Kesko's strong commitment to internationally high level practices of good corporate governance - transparent decision-making structures for the benefit of all shareholders and open reporting - provides a strong basis for sustainable business success.

- Shareholders, investors and other stakeholders value companies in which decision-making and operations are guided by the principles of good corporate governance.

- At Kesko, good corporate governance means responsible actions in decision-making and openness. We want to be pioneers in best corporate governance practices and to provide open and up-to-date information on Kesko's corporate governance principles and decisions for the market and our stakeholders, says Leppälä-Nilsson.

Kesko has received several recognitions for its responsibility work in Finland and internationally. Kesko has, for example, been included on 'the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World' list nine times in succession (www.global100.org). In 2012, Kesko was again included in the most important sustainability indexes, namely the Dow Jones indexes DJSI World and DJSI Europe, the FTSE4Good index and the Nordic Carbon Disclosure Leadership index.

Read more about Kesko's corporate governance principles at: www.kesko.fi/en/investors/Keskos-Corporate-Governance

Further information is available from General Counsel, Vice President Anne Leppälä-Nilsson, tel. +358 105 322 347.

Kesko (www.kesko.fi) is a retail specialist whose stores offer quality to the daily lives of consumers. Kesko has about 2,000 stores engaged in chain operations in the Nordic and Baltic countries, Russia, and Belarus.

World Finance (www.worldfinance.com) is an international financial magazine owned by the UK company World News Media.