Neenah Paper Completes Purchase of Wausau’s Premium Brands

ALPHARETTA, GA—Feb. 1, 2012—Neenah Paper reports it has completed its previously announced purchase of the branded premium paper portion of Wausau Paper’s Fine Paper division.

“The acquisition of Wausau brands strengthens the breadth of our existing fine paper business with added scale in the marketplace, prospects for growth in new channels such as retail, and the opportunity to provide our customers with better service,” said Julie Schertell, president, Neenah Fine Paper.

The transaction includes the following brands:

• Premium fine paper brands Astrobrights, Astroparche, Royal Linen, Royal Fiber, Royal Laid, Royal Complements, Royal Cotton, Royal Marble, Royal Metallics, Royal Resource, Wausau Bright White and Creative Collection.
• Exclusive license rights for a portion of Exact brand specialty business, including Exact Brights, Exact Coated, Exact Digital, Exact Index, Exact Tag and Exact Vellum Bristol.

Schertell added, “Astrobrights is the market leading brand in the bright, vivid color segment of our market. We are excited to add this strong brand to our portfolio, as well as the complimentary textures in the Royal brand family. I’m very pleased with our customers’ responses following our initial announcement, as well as the support we have received from the Wausau organization throughout the initial transition phase.

“As of today, we are taking orders on our new brands and we’re well-positioned for a smooth transition with our customers.”

Neenah’s primary focus in the coming months will continue to be the integration effort.

About Neenah Paper
For more than 100 years, Neenah Paper (NYSE: NP) has been an innovative leader in the creation and manufacturing of premium, specialty and sustainable papers used for premium writing, text, cover, private watermarks, and specialty needs. The Neenah signature portfolio includes Classic, Environment, Crane and Sundance Papers, and in 2012 the company added the Astrobright and Royal brands. The company also produces envelopes in thousands of unique styles.

Source: Neenah.