Blue Ridge Paper Confirms Dicusssions with The Rank Group

Blue Ridge Paper Products Inc., an integrated manufacturer of specialty paperboard packaging products and specialty and commodity grades of paperboard and paper products, announced that it is engaged in preliminary discussions with The Rank Group pursuant to a non-binding letter of intent regarding a potential transaction involving the sale of Blue Ridge.

The Rank Group is the owner of the Carter Holt Harvey Ltd. group of companies, headquartered in New Zealand, and Evergreen Packaging Inc.

The company says that there is no assurance that a definitive agreement will be reached by the parties or that a transaction will take place between Blue Ridge and the Rank Group now or in the future.

Blue Ridge does not intend to comment on or provide further updates regarding this matter unless and until circumstances warrant such disclosure.