Magazine paper producers struggle to implement price increases

The magazine paper producers in Europe have had little success with price hikes for the magazine paper than on the newsprint side where levels have risen up by 8%. The magazine paper prices are either stable or only marginally higher and a number of sellers have kept contract validities as short as possible to give them space to have options of increasing their prices. The supercalendered (SC) paper front is reportedly much better balanced despite the start up of Stora Enso's new 420,000 tonne/ year machine at the Kvarnsveden mill in Sweden. The market analysis on magazine paper demand are backed up by the latest figures from the Association of European Publication Paper Producers, CEPIPRINT.