Vivendi acquires French publisher Editis

January 31, 2019 — Fusion DigiNet

VivendiVivendi has acquired 100% of the share capital of Editis, the second-largest French-language publishing group. The share purchase agreement with the vendor, Spanish group Planeta, was entered into on November 15, 2018, based on an enterprise value of €900 million. The French Competition Authority authorized the transaction unconditionally on January 2, 2019.

Vivendi and Editis share a recognised expertise in the development and management of rights to works of culture and the same passion for managing creativity and talent. This acquisition is a logical step in the building of a large content, media and communications group. It also marks the return of this French publishing powerhouse to a European group with a global reach.

Arnaud de Puyfontaine, Vivendi’s Chief Executive Officer, has taken on the additional role of Chairman of Editis. Pierre Conte has been confirmed as Chief Executive Officer of Editis.

Editis encompasses some fifty prestigious publishing houses (Nathan, Robert Laffont, Julliard, Plon, Belfond, Presses de la Cité, Pocket, Solar, …). With a large portfolio of internationally-acclaimed authors, 4,000 new books published each year and a catalogue of more than 45,000 titles, Editis is active in the fields of fiction, children’s books, non-fiction, graphic and illustrated books, educational & reference books. Editis employs 2,400 people.

France, Paris

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Hachette acquires SPCK’s Sheldon Press

January 4, 2019 — Fusion DigiNet

Hachette UKHachette UK has acquired Sheldon Press, a specialist medical, mental health and self-help imprint of the Christian knowledge publisher SPCK. It will become part of John Murray Learning. The terms of the transaction were undisclosed.

John Murray Learning will be retaining the Sheldon Press brand and has committed to announcing a full reissue programme plus “ambitious” front-list plans “in the near future”.

Sheldon Press has over 150 titles in print, covering a large range of mental and physical health issues faced by individuals in the developed world. The list includes eight titles on the Reading Well ‘Books on Prescription’ recommended reading list and a number of prize-winning titles at the British Medical Association Book Awards. Among its best known titles are Depressive Illness: The Curse of the Strong by Tim Cantopher and Curing Arthritis the Drug Free Way by Margaret Hills.

Nick Davies, Managing Director of John Murray Press, said, “We are delighted to welcome the authors of Sheldon Press to Hachette UK. We already have an excellent reputation in mental and physical health publishing thanks to a number of market-leading titles on our John Murray Learning and Jessica Kingsley lists, and this reputation will only be enhanced by this new relationship with Sheldon. We plan to expand the range and scale of our publishing and look forward to taking these important books to new audiences in the months and years ahead.”

UK, London

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Penguin Random House India acquires Hind Pocket Books

June 30, 2018 — Fusion DigiNet

PenguinPenguin Random House India has acquired Hind Pocket Books, one of the oldest and most respected Hindi language publishers in the country.

Established in 1958, Hind Pocket Books are widely considered as pioneers in publishing Hindi and Urdu paperbacks in India, and have an extensive list of critically acclaimed and commercially successful titles. They have published some of the most renowned authors from the subcontinent and across the world, including Amrita Pritam, Shivani, Acharya Chatursen, Gulshan Nanda, Narendra Kohli, Khushwant Singh, R K Narayan, Dr Radhakrishnan, Dominique Lapierre, Osho, Thich Nhat Hanh, Ruzbeh Bharucha, Wayne Dyer, to name a few, and their titles and authors have won several prestigious awards, including the Nobel Prize, the Sahitya Akademi Awards, and the Jnanpith Award.

Markus Dohle, Chef Executive Officer Penguin Random House said, “We are thrilled to welcome Hind Pocket Books to the Penguin Random House global family of publishers. Our operations in India have been a success story for us, and this acquisition represents our commitment to expand our local-language publishing as we continue to implement our global strategy of growing in our key markets such as India”.

India, Haryana & New Delhi

 

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Aurelius acquires Connect Group’s Books division for £11.6M

December 21, 2017 — Fusion DigiNet

Aurelius EquityAurelius Equity Opportunities the pan-European mid-market investor, has bought Connect Books from the specialist distribution company Connect Group Plc for £11.6 million. The sum includes an expected deferred consideration of £1.05 million.

Connect Books is a multi-channel wholesaler, distributor and retailer of printed and digital books, with operations in UK, the Netherlands, and France. The business has projected revenues of approximately EUR 250 million for 2017. The transaction is subject to the approval of the competition authorities and is expected to close in January 2018.

Connect Books is comprised of the six distinct brands Bertram Books, Wordery, Dawson Books, Erasmus and Houtschild, and Bertram Library Services. On completion, Connect Books will be rebranded back to Bertram Group.

Dirk Markus, CEO of Aurelius, commented: “We are very pleased to announce our acquisition of Connect Books, an established, global business and one of the market leaders in its sector. This acquisition is a further demonstration of AURELIUS’ position as a preferred partner for corporates seeking a complex carve-out of a non-core business”.

Germany, Munich & UK, London

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Bertelsmann and Pearson in talks about combining their publishing divisions

October 25, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

The FT and others are reporting that Bertelsmann and Pearson are in talks about combining their Penguin and Random House publishing divisions and that the discussions have focused on a merger in which Bertelsmann would have a stake of more than 50 per cent.

Pearson have issued the following statement. “Pearson notes recent media coverage regarding Penguin, its consumer publishing division, and Random House (part of Bertelsmann). Pearson confirms that it is discussing with Bertelsmann a possible combination of Penguin and Random House. The two companies have not reached agreement and there is no certainty that the discussions will lead to a transaction. A further announcement will be made if and when appropriate.”

UK, London & USA, New York, NY

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Bloomsbury Publishing announces results for the six months ended 31 August 2012

October 25, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc has announced its six month results for the period ended 31 August 2012.

Financial highlights

  • Turnover £43.5 million (2011: £42.4 million) +2%
  • Profit before taxation and highlighted items* £2.1 million (2011: £3.3 million) -37%
  • Profit before taxation £0.9 million (2011: £1.5 million)
  • Interim dividend 0.94 pence per share (2011: 0.89 pence) +6%
  • Basic earnings per share before highlighted items* 2.20 pence (2011: 3.27 pence)
  • Basic earnings per share of 0.87 pence (2011: 1.45 pence)

Note: All the above highlights are stated on a Continuing basis ie they exclude the results of Bloomsbury’s German subsidiary, Bloomsbury Verlag, which was treated as discontinued in the accounts last year, following its sale in February 2012.

Acquisitions

Commenting on the results, Nigel Newton, Chief Executive, said:

“The Group continues to make good progress. We have acquired two new businesses further boosting our presence in the academic market, particularly in the USA, and have launched our own sales and publishing operation in India, a market which has the potential to become one of the largest English language book markets in the world.

Higher ebook sales and academic turnover continue to increase the weighting of our sales to the second half. In addition we have a strong second half list, including potential best sellers, and are targeting a significant number of rights and services contracts.  We remain well positioned for the future and results continue to show a positive trend over the longer term.”

UK, London

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