Tallink Grupp : has acquired the Esprit franchise in Estonia and strengthened its partnership with the brand

The group, which already owns the so-called largest floating supermarket on the Baltic sea on its shuttle vessel Megastar and whose total turnover of onboard sales in one year exceed 500 million euros, continues to expand its partnership activities with well-known brands through this deal. Last year, Tallink started operating its first restaurant franchise when it signed a deal with fast food chain BURGER KING® and now the Esprit franchise will be added to the portfolio on the retail side. In addition to signing the franchise deal, Tallink Grupp will start operating the three existing Esprit retail stores in Estonia, two in Tallinn in the Ülemiste Shopping Centre and the Rocca Al Mare Shopping Centre and one in Tartu City centre in the Kvartal Shopping Centre. Until recently, these were operated by A&G Kaubandus.

The proportion of clothes and accessories among the items sold onboard the Grupp's vessels has seen a steady increase in recent years, including the sale of Esprit brand items.

"Esprit is a well known brand which is loved across the globe and their products are also popular among our customers," said Aimar Pärna, Head of Tallink Duty Free commenting on the new franchise deal. "Tallink has a long-term partnership with Esprit already and we've been successfully selling the brand's products for a number of years. Becoming the brand's official representatives here in Estonia is a positive development of our existing partnership and will further enhance our cooperation."

When making a decision about the acquisition of the franchise, Tallink carefully considered the strength and characteristics of the Esprit brand and looked at how the customer base of Esprit matched that of Tallink Grupp.

"The three new brand shops provide us with a great opportunity to further develop our retail expertise. In addition, the new shops will enable us to get more insights into the buying preferences and habits of the Estonian consumers, all of which we can use to successfully develop our retail activities both onboard and on shore," Pärna added.

Piia Rossi, Head of Retail & Wholesale Finland and Baltics at Esprit, comments:
"Estonia is a very important and developing market for Esprit and we are looking forward to build an even broader customer base and develop our stores further. We have a great and successful co-operation with Tallink Grupp already for years, and are looking forward to Tallink also becoming our franchise partner, strengthening our presence in Estonia.

For more information, please contact:
Katri Link
Communications Director, AS Tallink Grupp
katri.link@tallink.ee; +372 53 042 121

About AS Tallink Grupp
AS Tallink Grupp is the leading passenger and cargo transportation service provider in the Northern region of the Baltic Sea. The company owns 14 vessels and operates under the brands of Tallink and Silja Line on 6 different routes. AS Tallink Grupp employs over 7,000 people in the region and over 9.7 million passengers travelled on its ferries in 2017. AS Tallink Grupp is listed on the Tallinn Stock Exchange.
www.tallink.com

About Esprit
Founded in 1968, Esprit is an international fashion brand that pays homage to its roots and expresses a relaxed, sunny Californian attitude towards life. Esprit creates inspiring collections for women, men and kids made from high-quality materials paying great attention to detail. All of Esprit's products demonstrate the Group's commitment to make consumers "feel good to look good". The company's "esprit de corps" reflects a positive and caring attitude towards life that embraces community, family and friends - in that casual, laid-back California style. The Esprit style.

Esprit's collections are available in over 40 countries worldwide, in around 660 directly managed retail stores and through over 6,000 wholesale points of sales including franchise stores and sales space in department stores. The Group markets its products under two brands, namely the Esprit brand and the edc brand. Listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 1993, Esprit has headquarters in Germany and Hong Kong.
More information can be found on www.esprit.com