Jun 01, 2007. /Lesprom Network/. M-real, part of the Metsäliitto Group, has sold on June 1, 2007 its carton plant in Hungary under a share sales agreement that became effective immediately. The combined debt-free price of this disposal and the disposal of the carton plant in Finland on 31 May 2007 amounts to approximately Euro 35 million. M-real will book a loss of approximately Euro 2 million from the transactions in its result for the second quarter of this year. The transactions will have a slightly negative impact on M-real's operating profit excluding non-recurring items in 2007. The entire share capital of M-real's subsidiary M-real Petöfi Nyomda Kft was sold to the German STI Group. The Petöfi carton plant is located in Kecskemét, Hungary, and produces consumer packaging products for the pharmaceutical, consumer electronics and other industries. The plant has some 420 employees. The sale of the carton plants in Finland and Hungary will result in a reduction of the annual sales of M-real by approximately Euro 55 million. The divestments are part of M-real's restructuring programme which was announced in October 2006. "As part of the restructuring programme announced in October we are also evaluating our other assets from a strategic point of view. We believe that these disposals will generate the targeted proceeds of Euro 500 million or even exceed them during 2007," says Seppo Parvi, CFO at M-real. M-real continues negotiations with regard to the sale of its carton plant in Belgium. M-real is one of Europe’s leading suppliers of paperboard and related services, coated and uncoated fine paper and coated magazine paper. Company’s main market is Europe, but the products are sold worldwide. M-real focuses on four business areas: consumer packaging, publishing, commercial printing and office papers.