KESKO FOOD LTD PRESS RELEASE 12.01.2009 AT 09.30 1(1)

The LED lighting technology will replace neon and fluorescent tubes
in K-food stores' signage. Based on the agreement made with Imagon Oy
of Kajaani, LED lighting only will be used in the new illuminated
signs of K-food stores. In addition, possibilities of replacing the
neon and fluorescent tubes of existing signs with the new LED
technology are also studied.

"Using the LED lighting technology on this scale is unique, as LEDs
remain rare in cased illuminated advertising, which is the largest
category among Kesko Food's store signage. We are constantly
developing new solutions to increase the energy efficiency of K-food
stores, and the LED technology represents one answer to this," says
Purchasing Manager Vesa Kortesniemi of Kesko Food.

The most immediate environmental impact of giving up using neon and
fluorescent tubes is reduced electricity consumption, as the adoption
of LEDs for new signage is estimated to save the amount of
electricity used by 40 electricity-heated one-family houses annually.
Indirect environmental impact is reflected in the reduced need for
maintenance work and travel involved.

"This is a significant definition from Kesko Food internationally,
too. Kesko Food is one of the first European companies to adopt an
energy-saving source of light that does not produce hazardous waste
for its illuminated signage on such a wide scale," says Mika Okkonen,
Managing Director of Imagon.

The advantages of the LED lighting technology include:

- longer life, over 10 years (cf. fluorescent tube about 5 years)
- less need for maintenance thanks to longer life
- LED illuminated signs do not contain hazardous waste (cf. mercury
in fluorescent and neon tubes)
- considerably lower energy consumption (60-80% compared with neon
and fluorescent tubes, depending on the shape and size of the sign)
- LEDs dim much less than fluorescent and neon tubes during their
life

Photos can be downloaded from
http://aineistopankki.kesko.fi/kesko_en.

Further information:
Purchasing Manager Vesa Kortesniemi, Kesko Food Ltd, tel. +358 1053
22445
Managing Director Mika Okkonen, Imagon Oy, tel. +358 40 300 4089

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.


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