Boston-based private equity company Advent International has finally executed a deal to sell Germany’s leading bookselling chain Thalia. The lead buyer is Germany’s Herder family, which has been in the publishing business for over 200 years. The Kreke family continues to hold a minority share. (They founded Thalia’s parent company Douglas Holding, and held a 20 percent share in Douglas alongside Advent; Douglas itself, a beauty retailer, was spun back out to CVC Capital Partners last year, so it was only a matter of time before Thalia was sold as well. In turn, the Herder’s had sold their bookstore group to […]
