International cooperation agreements for new Observer division

11/14/2000 4:02 AM EST

Observer's new Communications division has signed cooperation agreements
with U.S. and Australian partners. With these agreements in place, the
division can now offer expanded database services with media information
from the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Observer's Communications division offers clients database solutions with
target group information on "who's who" in the media and financial
world. Clients are also provided communication solutions to distribute
business information. The services are offered by the group companies
Media Information in the UK and BIT in Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

The new cooperation agreements, with Chicago-based Bacons and Media
Monitors in Australia, give the Communications division channels for its
European products in the U.S., Canadian, Australian and New Zealand
markets.

Additionally, such Observer products as Mediadisk and PR-planner will be
expanded in Europe to include locally collected data from these key
international markets.

"By combining acquisitions, organic growth and this type of international
cooperation agreement, we can create a broad range of global services in
the Communications area," says Observer CEO Robert Lundberg.

About Observer AB
Observer AB (formerly Sifo Group), which is listed O-list (Attract 40) of
the OM Stockholm Exchange, has operations in media and market monitoring,
analysis and evaluation, target group identification and the distribution
of information for PR and IR purposes. Through SMG Consulting, Observer AB
is also active in management and strategic consulting. Observer AB has a
turnover of slightly over SEK 1.2 billion on a moving 12-month basis, with
around 1,600 employees in the UK, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Norway,
Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

For further information, please contact:
Robert Lundberg, President and CEO, phone +46 8 507 410 10
e-mail  
Stephen George, Executive President and Head of the Communications
division, phone +44 1494 797 290, e-mail  
Per Blixt, Senior Vice President Corporate Communications,
phone +46 8 507 410 12, +46 70 549 28 08, e-mail
 

This press release is also accessible online at www.observergroup.com