These Romands are very bullish
Business Press: The glossy business magazines in German-speaking Switzerland are facing competition from French-speaking Switzerland.
Business press The glossy business titles in German-speaking Switzerland are facing competition from French-speaking Switzerland Two entrepreneurs from French-speaking Switzerland, Patrick Sikias and Raphael Dana, have massively expanded the business segment of their company Market Publishing SA within a very short space of time. From September 2007, the German edition of their monthly financial and business journal Market.ch will also be published in German-speaking Switzerland. The plan is to install a two-person editorial team on Dufourstrasse in Zurich, right under the nose of the Ringier headquarters. "Our competitors in French-speaking Switzerland have so far been the business titles Bilan and PME-Magazine. In German-speaking Switzerland, it will be Bilanz and Stocks from the Handelszeitung group," explains publisher Patrick Sikias. Sikias and Dana launched the title in French-speaking Switzerland almost four years ago and have been in the black since 2003. Market.ch, whose title is the same as its website in line with current trends, has a circulation of just over 21,000 copies in French-speaking Switzerland. In Zurich, the makers want to launch the German-speaking Swiss edition with 19,000 copies.
Market.ch is divided into the following sections: Dossier, Marketing, Management, Technology, International, Finance, Reading and Lifestyle. In the dossier of the current issue - a bright red cover page with the national coat of arms - the magazine deals with Switzerland as a business location and how it stands out internationally in various domains under the title "Swiss Power".
The market.ch website complements the offering with business news and fund guides, career recommendations and a real estate portal. The company also produces daily broadcasts on the Geneva-based private channel Léman Bleu with reports on marketing, innovations, success stories and portraits from the world of finance and business.
Cooperation with leading title The Economist "Around 80 percent of the content in the German edition will be similar to the French-language edition," says Patrick Sikias. The editorial team also wants to address specific topics relating to the Zurich financial center.
It seems to be becoming more and more trendy to embellish one's own title with long-established brands. Where Handelszeitung, for example, carries the Dow Jones flagship The Wall Street Journal in its subtitle, Market.ch also has a deal with the long-established London business magazine The Economist (circulation in Europe around 370,000, worldwide 1.1 million copies). "This allows us to print five to six articles per issue from The Economist," explains Sikias. The contract provides for the publication of around 15 pages per year in the areas of politics and business.
Market.ch will cost 8 francs at the newsstand and 45 francs for a subscription. "The subscription price is significantly lower than that of the competition," says Sikias.
Present on the market with financial and lifestyle topicsThe company is not content with the launch of the German edition, however. About two weeks ago, Sikias and Dana bought the Sur La Terre group from publisher Matteo Legler, who had been publishing the lifestyle glossy titles of the same name in Geneva since 2003 and in Zurich since January 2006. It also includes Sur La Terre International SA, which also publishes the corresponding lifestyle titles in London, Moscow, Cannes, Courchevel, St. Tropez, Megève, Paris, Monte Carlo and Corsica under a franchising system.
Legler is now a 20 percent shareholder in Market Publishing SA. "With the two titles Market.ch and Sur La Terre, we have a complementary market presence in the business and finance sector on the one hand and in luxury and lifestyle on the other," says Patrick Sikias. Sur La Terre is available at newsstands and in the airport lounge. Until now, Legler's titles have been loss-making. However, since the takeover by Market Publishing SA, which the owners prefer to see as a merger, the titles have been out of the red. This is emphasized by the third man in the group, John Hartung. He is Publishing Director and will be responsible for the Swiss-German edition of Market.ch in Zurich next year.
The two entrepreneurs also want to launch an English-language edition under the title Market500.eu. This glossy magazine will be published every three months throughout Europe and will have an initial circulation of around 75,000 copies. Sikias and Dana have skillfully managed their business: Market Publishing SA is under exclusive contract with a Brussels-based organization "Europe 500". This organization represents around 500 European companies, which automatically become subscribers to Market500.eu. The magazine aims to rank the 500 fastest growing companies in Europe and offer them a platform. The first issue will be published next December and will be available at newsstands in 28 countries.
Edipresse has a foot in the doorPatrick Sikias and Raphael Dana
were previously involved in Internet design and founded the company netarchitects.com in the second half of the 1990s. The company had a total of 100 employees in Geneva and Zurich and saw itself as a direct competitor to Internet pioneer Namics. Its clients included Swissair and Schindler. According to press reports in French-speaking Switzerland, Market Publishing SA is almost 50 percent owned by the two founders Sikias and Dana. Other shareholders are Matteo Legler with 20 percent, publishing director John Hartung and the internet portal romandie.com with 8 percent each.
Edipresse recently expanded its Internet activities and acquired a 20 percent stake in romandie.com. The dominant media house in French-speaking Switzerland thus has a foot in the door at Market Publishing SA.
René Worni
Market.ch is divided into the following sections: Dossier, Marketing, Management, Technology, International, Finance, Reading and Lifestyle. In the dossier of the current issue - a bright red cover page with the national coat of arms - the magazine deals with Switzerland as a business location and how it stands out internationally in various domains under the title "Swiss Power".
The market.ch website complements the offering with business news and fund guides, career recommendations and a real estate portal. The company also produces daily broadcasts on the Geneva-based private channel Léman Bleu with reports on marketing, innovations, success stories and portraits from the world of finance and business.
Cooperation with leading title The Economist "Around 80 percent of the content in the German edition will be similar to the French-language edition," says Patrick Sikias. The editorial team also wants to address specific topics relating to the Zurich financial center.
It seems to be becoming more and more trendy to embellish one's own title with long-established brands. Where Handelszeitung, for example, carries the Dow Jones flagship The Wall Street Journal in its subtitle, Market.ch also has a deal with the long-established London business magazine The Economist (circulation in Europe around 370,000, worldwide 1.1 million copies). "This allows us to print five to six articles per issue from The Economist," explains Sikias. The contract provides for the publication of around 15 pages per year in the areas of politics and business.
Market.ch will cost 8 francs at the newsstand and 45 francs for a subscription. "The subscription price is significantly lower than that of the competition," says Sikias.
Present on the market with financial and lifestyle topicsThe company is not content with the launch of the German edition, however. About two weeks ago, Sikias and Dana bought the Sur La Terre group from publisher Matteo Legler, who had been publishing the lifestyle glossy titles of the same name in Geneva since 2003 and in Zurich since January 2006. It also includes Sur La Terre International SA, which also publishes the corresponding lifestyle titles in London, Moscow, Cannes, Courchevel, St. Tropez, Megève, Paris, Monte Carlo and Corsica under a franchising system.
Legler is now a 20 percent shareholder in Market Publishing SA. "With the two titles Market.ch and Sur La Terre, we have a complementary market presence in the business and finance sector on the one hand and in luxury and lifestyle on the other," says Patrick Sikias. Sur La Terre is available at newsstands and in the airport lounge. Until now, Legler's titles have been loss-making. However, since the takeover by Market Publishing SA, which the owners prefer to see as a merger, the titles have been out of the red. This is emphasized by the third man in the group, John Hartung. He is Publishing Director and will be responsible for the Swiss-German edition of Market.ch in Zurich next year.
The two entrepreneurs also want to launch an English-language edition under the title Market500.eu. This glossy magazine will be published every three months throughout Europe and will have an initial circulation of around 75,000 copies. Sikias and Dana have skillfully managed their business: Market Publishing SA is under exclusive contract with a Brussels-based organization "Europe 500". This organization represents around 500 European companies, which automatically become subscribers to Market500.eu. The magazine aims to rank the 500 fastest growing companies in Europe and offer them a platform. The first issue will be published next December and will be available at newsstands in 28 countries.
Edipresse has a foot in the doorPatrick Sikias and Raphael Dana
were previously involved in Internet design and founded the company netarchitects.com in the second half of the 1990s. The company had a total of 100 employees in Geneva and Zurich and saw itself as a direct competitor to Internet pioneer Namics. Its clients included Swissair and Schindler. According to press reports in French-speaking Switzerland, Market Publishing SA is almost 50 percent owned by the two founders Sikias and Dana. Other shareholders are Matteo Legler with 20 percent, publishing director John Hartung and the internet portal romandie.com with 8 percent each.
Edipresse recently expanded its Internet activities and acquired a 20 percent stake in romandie.com. The dominant media house in French-speaking Switzerland thus has a foot in the door at Market Publishing SA.
René Worni
