The Competition Authority approved the acquisition of the full ownership of AS Õhtuleht Kirjastus by Ekspress Grupp
On 2 April 2026, the Estonian Competition Authority approved the signed between AS Ekspress Grupp and AS AVH Grupp on 9 July 2025, under which Ekspress Grupp acquires the 50% stake in AS Õhtuleht Kirjastus previously owned by AVH Grupp. As a result of the transaction, Ekspress Grupp will become the sole owner of Õhtuleht Kirjastus. The parties will complete the transaction after all of the preconditions for closing the transaction have been met.
Õhtuleht Kirjastus is one of Estonia's largest media companies, publishing Õhtuleht, the daily newspaper with the largest circulation in Estonia, as well as several popular magazines. The company also manages online publications, including the ohtuleht.ee and toidutare.ee portals.
The acquisition provides Ekspress Grupp with additional opportunities to invest in quality journalism and is in line with the group's long-term strategy. The transaction will not result in changes to Õhtuleht Kirjastus's daily operations or organisational structure. Õhtuleht will continue as an independent media publication with an editorially independent newsroom.
The transaction is not considered to be of significant importance according to the "Requirements for Issuers" section of the NASDAQ Tallinn Stock Exchange Regulations. AS Ekspress Grupp confirms that the members of the group's management board and supervisory board have no personal interest in the transaction.
Rain Sarapuu
CFO of the Group
AS Ekspress Grupp is the leading Baltic media group whose key activities include web media content production, and publishing of newspapers, magazines and books. The Group also operates an electronic ticket sales platform and ticket sales offices in Latvia and Estonia, offers digital outdoor screen service in Estonia and Latvia. In addition, the Group companies organize conferences, trainings and events mainly in Estonia and Lithuania but also in Latvia. Ekspress Grupp launched its operations in 1989 and employs about 1000 people.
