Q1 European Coated Demand Down, SC Up

http://euro-graph.antidot.be/who_we_are-7283.html

EURO-GRAPH has reported that European demand for coated mechanical paper in the first quarter fell -4.6% s compared to the same period last year. Exports jumped 14.6%. Coated woodfree demand declined -3.1% for Q1 and exports decreased -8.1%. Supercalendered paper demand rose 8.4%. SC exports fell -11%.

IP Reports Q1 Results

http://www.paperage.com/2012news/04_27_2012international_paper_earnings.html

International Paper today reported first-quarter 2012 net earnings attributable to common shareholders totaling $188 million compared with net earnings of $281 million in the fourth quarter of 2011 and $354 million ($0.81 per share) in the first quarter of 2011.

Katahdin's Millinocket to be Industrial Park

http://www.sunjournal.com/news/approved/0001/11/30/cate-street-plans-industrial-park-millinocket-pape/1186902

Cate Street Capital, buyer of the two Katahdin region paper mills in September announced plans Wednesday to turn the Millinocket site into an industrial park.

Catalyst Paper Delays Meeting with Creditors

Catalyst Paper adjusts date for meeting of its creditors:
Catalyst Paper has announced that the date for the meetings of its secured and unsecured creditors to consider the plan of arrangement under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act has been changed from May 2, 2012 to May 15, 2012.

min Tracked Ad Pages Down 5.8%

http://www.minonline.com/news/20371.html

Of the 150 mags we track at min, 62 showed gains in May (27 of which were up by double-digit percentages) and 88 plummeted.  Cumulative 2012-versus-2011 differentials were -5.90% (May) and -5.81% (year-to-date).

 

Hearst Launches Cosmopolitan for Latinas

http://www.pubexec.com/article/hearst-magazines-introduces-cosmopolitan-latinas/1

Hearst Magazines, one of the world's largest publishers of monthly magazines, today announced that the first stand-alone issue of Cosmopolitan for Latinas, a new women's lifestyle publication targeted at English-speaking Latinas, will hit newsstands nationwide on May 1.

GDP Grows 2.2% in Q1

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304811304577369640809969900.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories

Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States -- increased at an annual rate of 2.2 percent in the first quarter of 2012.

Valassis Announces Q1 Results

Valassis Announces Q1 Results: Revenues Decreased by 5.2%: Valassis today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012. First-quarter 2012 revenues were $518.6 million, a decrease of 5.2% from $547.0 million in the prior year quarter.

UPM Q1 Sales Up 10%

http://www.upm.com/EN/MEDIA/All-news/Pages/default.aspx

Sales for Q1 2012 were EUR 2,591 million, 10% higher than the EUR 2,356 million in Q1 2011. Sales increased due to the Myllykoski acquisition in Paper in August 2011, as well as higher delivery volumes in other UPM businesses.

Second Uncoated Mill Announces Increase

Leading North American uncoated freesheet paper producer Domtar informed customers it will raise prices on all white business papers by $2/cwt ($40/ton) effective May 29.

Domtar Reports Q1 Net Earnings

Domtar reports net earnings of $28 million in first quarter, 2012:
Domtar Corp. is reporting net earnings of $28 million in their first quarter of 2012, compared to net earnings of $61 million in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Sales for the first quarter of 2012 amounted to $1.4 billion.

Graphic Packaging Reports Q1 Earnings

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=103159&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1687718&highlight=
Graphic Packaging Holding Company,  a leading provider of packaging solutions to food, beverage and other consumer products companies, today reported Net Income for first quarter 2012 of $17.2 million. This compares to first quarter 2011 Net Income of $26.7 million.

Senate Passes Postal Reform Bill

U.S. Senate passes Postal Service reform bill: The U.S. Senate Wednesday passed a bill intended to relieve financial pressures on the U.S. Postal Service while retaining as many services as possible. The House of Representatives is considering its own version of the bill.

New Page Won't Build Bio-Refinery

New Page drops plans for bio-refinery in Wi...:
Four years ago, the U.S. Energy Department awarded a $30 million grant for the bio-refinery. The project was originally sought by Stora Enso, a previous owner of the Wisconsin Rapids mill.

IP Closing 4 Temple-Inland Plants

International Paper closing four plants as result of Temple-Inland merger:
International Paper Co. is shutting down four plants across the country in the next two months and eliminating a total of 215 jobs.

IP Announces Uncoated Paper Increase

http://www.internationalpaper.com/

International Paper announced to customers a $2/cwt or 3-4% price increase on uncoated freesheet imaging papers effective May 21, 2012.

Another Coated Increase

FutureMark has announced a $2.00/cwt increase on its coated mechanical paper, effective July 1.

Verso Announces Exchange Offer

http://www.versopaper.com/ Verso Paper Corp. announced today that two of its wholly owned subsidiaries, Verso Paper Holdings LLC and Verso Paper Inc. (together, the "Issuers"), have launched an exchange offer and consent solicitation for their outstanding 11⅜% senior subordinated notes due 2016 (the "Old Subordinated Notes"). In addition, the Issuers have amended certain terms of the existing exchange offer and consent solicitation for their second priority senior secured floating rate notes due 2014 (the "Old Secured Floating Rate Notes").

NBSK Downtime Reported

Two major North American market pulp producers, Resolute Forest Products and Domtar, have annual maintenance closures at their northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) mills in Ontario this month that will trim 29,000 tonnes of output.

Nippon Relocating Headquarters

http://www.paperage.com/2012news/04_25_2012nippon_paper_group.html

Nippon Paper Group, Inc. said that it has decided to relocate its headquarters and the headquarters of major Group companies. In addition, the company today decided to review its existing holding company system, and transform its business structure using the Group’s comprehensive strength.