BE Group Q1 – signs of improved demand

  · Net sales fell by 23 percent compared with the year-earlier period,
amounting to SEK 1,032 M (1,343). Shipped tonnage decreased by 18 percent.
  · The operating result weakened to a loss of SEK 17 M (positive 41) and the
underlying operating result amounted to SEK 14 M (51).
  · Deliveries to the engineering sector rose and the proportion of production
services continued to grow.
  · Negotiations on the personnel reductions that have been decided have now
largely been concluded. The measures will generate an annual cost reduction of
approximately SEK 65 M. Non-recurring costs totaling SEK 30 M were charged
against the first quarter.

The President and CEO of BE Group, Kimmo Väkiparta, comments on the report for
the first quarter of 2013:

“Compared with the weak conclusion to 2012, we have seen quite a few positive
signals during the first quarter. Overall within the Group, we have seen a
gradual improvement in daily deliveries from BE Group, and in the key Swedish
and Finnish markets, we are noting increased demand from the engineering sector.

In the Swedish operations there has been a shift towards an increased proportion
of production service sales that has helped strengthen the gross margin.

In Business Area CEE, we are noting a continued weak market. The operations in
the Baltic States and Slovakia showed positive results while Poland is lagging.
The process of selling the Czech operations is ongoing although we have, at the
same time, implemented efficiency enhancement measures that have led to improved
results.

Forward planning with regard to customers’ needs remains short term, although we
expect demand in all markets to continue to slightly improve in the second
quarter. At the same time, sales prices are expected to fall somewhat due to
lower market prices. The personnel reductions currently in progress are also
resulting in an improved cost structure and thus strengthened competitiveness.”

Please address any questions to:
Kimmo Väkiparta, President and CEO
tel.: +46 (0)705 972 342  e-mail: kimmo.vakiparta@begroup.com

Torbjörn Clementz, CFO and Executive Vice President
tel.: +46 (0)708 690 788  e-mail: torbjorn.clementz@begroup.com

Today, at 08:30 a.m. CET, Kimmo Väkiparta and Torbjörn Clementz will comment on
development at a conference with market analysts and the press. The conference
may be followed via webcast or by phone (see information below).

If you wish to participate via webcast and/or ask questions at the press
conference, please copy and paste the following link into your web browser to
register online. Please be certain to copy the full link.

http://storm.zoomvisionmamato.com/player/begroup/objects/3ajnh985//

The following telephone number can be used to participate in the presentation:

Sweden: +46 (0)8 506 307 79
UK: +44 (0)844 571 89 57
US: +1 866 682 8490

BE Group, listed on the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm exchange, is a trading and service
company in steel and other metals. BE Group provides various forms of service
for steel, stainless steel and aluminum applications to customers primarily in
the construction and engineering sectors. In 2012, the Group reported sales of
SEK 4.6 Bn. BE Group has slightly less than 900 employees in nine countries,
with Sweden and Finland as its largest markets. The head office is located in
Malmö, Sweden. Read more about BE Group at www.begroup.com.