Kesko A : was ranked among the World's Most Ethical Companies

KESKO CORPORATION PRESS RELEASE 16.03.2012 AT 9.00 1(1)

The US Ethisphere Institute listed Kesko as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for 2012. Kesko is one of the six companies on the list representing food stores.

"A strong ethical foundation is a competitive advantage, and Kesko recognises the important role corporate responsibility plays in improving its bottom line," said Alex Bingham, Executive Director of the Ethisphere Institute. "As more and more organisations strive for this honour each year, Kesko's inclusion as a World's Most Ethical Company for 2012 demonstrates its industry-leading commitment to ethics and dedication to integrity."

When naming the companies, Ethisphere evaluated, among other things, the company's code of ethics, number of innovations, sustainable business practices and responsibility of operations. For listing purposes, Ethisphere's experts reviewed hundreds of companies, representing more than one hundred countries and over 35 industries. A total of 145 companies, the best in their industries, were included in the list.

Kesko has received several recognitions for its responsibility work in Finland and internationally. Kesko has been included in the Dow Jones sustainability indexes for nine years in succession. Kesko has been selected among 'the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World' for eight times (www.global100.org:
http://www.global100.org/). In February 2012, Kesko was awarded by World Finance Magazine for 'the Best Corporate Governance in Finland' in terms of corporate governance development and reporting for the second time in succession. In 2011, Kesko was awarded as the best in Finland in responsibility reporting (www.fibsry.fi:
http://www.fibsry.fi/).

Further information on the methodology and the 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies list at www.ethisphere.com/wme:
http://www.ethisphere.com/wme .

Further information:

Merja Haverinen, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications and Responsibility, Kesko Corporation, tel. +358 1053 22764

Helena Frilander, CR Manager, Kesko Corporation, tel. +358 1053 23143.

Kesko (www.kesko.fi:
https://inpublic.huginonline.com/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/6T0AC047/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.

Ethispere Institute (www.ethisphere.com:
http://www.ethisphere.com/) is a leading international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability.