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AkzoNobel to Become Primary Paint Supplier to Walmart

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- AkzoNobel today announced it has been selected by Walmart to be the primary paint supplier for the retailer's U.S. stores.

AkzoNobel will develop and manufacture a portfolio of interior and exterior paints for Walmart's more than 3,500 stores nationwide with the Glidden(TM) and ColorPlace® brands. This agreement builds on the existing relationship with Walmart for paints in Puerto Rico and Canada, and with Liquid Nails® adhesives in the United States.

"We're excited about the opportunity to build upon our relationship with Walmart to help them grow their paints business," said Erik C. M. Bouts, managing director of Akzo Nobel Paints LLC, the company's U.S. Decorative Paints business. "We feel we're in a unique position to deliver a high quality, affordable product to customers by leveraging both our strong presence here in the U.S. and the support of our global organization."

Walmart will begin the transition to AkzoNobel early next year.

About AkzoNobel's U.S. Paints Business (Akzo Nobel Paints LLC)

Akzo Nobel Paints LLC produces a portfolio of well respected brands, including Glidden(TM), Glidden Professional(TM), The Freshaire Choice(TM), Ralph Lauren® and Devoe® paints; Flood®, Sikkens® and Synteko® wood care products; plus Liquid Nails® adhesives and caulks. Products are sold through company stores, national/retail outlets, distributors and independent dealers in the United States and Puerto Rico and are exported internationally.

About AkzoNobel

AkzoNobel is the largest global paints and coatings company and a major producer of specialty chemicals. We supply industries and consumers worldwide with innovative products and are passionate about developing sustainable answers for our customers. Our portfolio includes well known brands such as Dulux, Sikkens, International and Eka. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, we are a Global Fortune 500 company and are consistently ranked as one of the leaders on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes. With operations in more than 80 countries, our 55,000 people around the world are committed to excellence and delivering Tomorrow's Answers Today(TM).

ColorPlace is a registered trademark of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; Ralph Lauren is a registered trademark of PRL USA Holdings, Inc.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements which address such key issues as AkzoNobel's growth strategy, future financial results, market positions, product development, products in the pipeline, and product approvals. Such statements should be carefully considered, and it should be understood that many factors could cause forecasted and actual results to differ from these statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, price fluctuations, currency fluctuations, developments in raw material and personnel costs, pensions, physical and environmental risks, legal issues, and legislative, fiscal, and other regulatory measures. Stated competitive positions are based on management estimates supported by information provided by specialized external agencies. For a more comprehensive discussion of the risk factors affecting our business please see our latest Annual Report, a copy of which can be found on the company's corporate website www.akzonobel.com.

SOURCE AkzoNobel