DALLAS, June 14 -- Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE: KMB) today announced that it has completed the acquisition of the consumer and away-from-home tissue businesses of Attisholz Holding AG, including the well-known Hakle and Tela brands. The purchase price, including assumed debt, was approximately CHF560 million (about US$365 million).

"The addition of the Attisholz tissue businesses marks the beginning of a new stage of growth for Kimberly-Clark in Europe," said Wayne R. Sanders, chairman and chief executive officer of Kimberly-Clark. "The acquisition nearly triples the sales of our tissue business in Germany, Switzerland and Austria and gives us the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in branded consumer bathroom tissue in each of these markets. Moreover, it should help us obtain improved retail distribution of other Kimberly-Clark products in Germany and provide a platform from which to introduce new products."

In 1998, Attisholz sales of tissue products were approximately US$300 million. Its operations include a mill in Mainz, Germany, and three mills in Switzerland in the cities of Niederbipp, Reichenburg and Balsthal.

As previously announced, Dr. Christof A. Zuber, currently the Chief Executive Officer of Attisholz Holding AG, along with key members of his tissue management team, will lead the combined Kimberly-Clark consumer businesses in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The continuity in leadership will help ensure a successful integration and transition with the retail trade.

With the addition of the Hakle brand to its top-selling Andrex, Kleenex and Scottex brands, Kimberly-Clark now has the leading bathroom tissue brands in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Other Kimberly-Clark consumer products in Europe include Huggies disposable diapers, Pull-Ups training pants, Kotex and Camelia feminine care products and Depend incontinence care products.

Separately, the company announced that, in early June, it completed the sale of its pulp mill in Miranda, Spain, to Rottneros AB, a Swedish pulp manufacturer. In addition, Hogla-Kimberly Limited, Kimberly-Clark's equity affiliate in Israel, recently completed the purchase of Ovisan, a Turkish manufacturer of personal care products. This acquisition gives the company a new presence in Turkey's growing diaper and feminine care markets.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation is a leading global manufacturer of tissue, personal care and health care products. The company's global brands include Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex, Depend, Kleenex, Scott, Kimberly-Clark, Tecnol, Kimwipes and WypAll. Other brands well known outside the U.S. include Andrex, Scottex, Page, Popee and Kimbies. Kimberly-Clark also is a major producer of premium business, correspondence and technical papers. The company has manufacturing operations in 39 countries and sells its products in more than 150 countries.