On Friday, the European Commission formally approved Vivendi’s long-planned acquisition of Lagardere, following the fulfillment of their “commitments” to sell the Editis publishing division, as well as the celebrity magazine Gala. Next, “The Commission will assess the suitability of buyers proposed by Vivendi in the context of a separate buyer approval procedure. Pursuant to the commitments, Vivendi can only implement the acquisition of Lagardère following the Commission’s approval of a suitable purchaser.” In April, Vivendi struck a put option agreement to sell Editis to Czech Republic-based International Media Invest. In March, based on preliminary offers to purchase Editis from multiple […]
M&A
Lakeside Acquires Marquis
Lakeside Book Company, the largest book printer in the US, has acquired Canadian book manufacturer Marquis Book Printing. The brand will remain as a division of Lakeside and Serge Loubier will stay on as president, while the division is led by Lakeside ceo Dave McCree. “Joining the two leading printing companies in North America allows us to better serve the needs of our customers and improve service for publishers of all sizes,” McCree said in a release. “Marquis’ business model is designed to better serve small to mid-sized publishers, complementing Lakeside’s unparalleled service to all publishers. With Lakeside’s full range […]
Penguin Random House Acquires Callisto Media In A Deal Led and Managed By Sourcebooks
Penguin Random House has acquired the publishing assets of once high-flying start-up Callisto Media, in a deal led (and announced) by their partner Sourcebooks, which will manage the Callisto catalog and publishing program. PRH will incorporate Callisto’s data analysis toolset into PRH’s existing infrastructure and tech stack. The deal closed earlier today, for undisclosed terms. Callisto Media ceo and founder Benjamin Wayne and his “key leaders” will join Sourcebooks and a “portion of the organization” will join PRH on the data side. Wayne acknowledged there will be some “redundancies” in finance and various other corporate functions as part of the […]
Ulysses Acquires VeloPress
Ulysses Press has acquired health and fitness publisher VeloPress from Outside Interactive. VeloPress will operate as a new imprint under Ulysses.
Acquisitions: Applewood Books, Barrington Stoke
Arcadia Publishing has acquired Applewood Books, which specializes in “reissuing original versions of historical books” and has a catalog of over 2500 titles. The company previously purchased Applewood’s imprint Commonwealth Editions in 2021. Arcadia ceo Brittain Phillips said in a release, “Applewood’s extraordinary catalog will enhance Arcadia’s ability to deliver on our mission: to connect people with their past, with their communities, and with one another.” Elsewhere, Harper UK has acquired children’s publisher Barrington Stoke, which publishes 40 dyslexia-friendly titles a year. Based in Edinburgh, the imprint will remain autonomous under managing director Alex Beecroft. Harper UK ceo Charlie Redmayne […]
Storytel Acquires Finnish Audiobook Streaming Business
Swedish audiobook company Storytel has acquired the audiobook streaming arm of Finnish bookstore chain Suomalainen Kirjakauppa, which is owned by the Otava Group. Subscribers to the audiobook business, Suomalainen Plus, will be merged into Storytel’s user base. Storytel ceo Johannes Larcher said, “This agreement strengthens Storytel’s position in the vibrant Finnish market and as the Nordic market leader. We are also very pleased to deepen our relationship with the leading Finnish publishing and media owner Otava Ltd, who we had the pleasure of welcoming as a new shareholder in connection with our directed share issue in November.”