"An IPO is currently not an issue"
Klaus Kappeler, CEO of Goldbach Media, on investor 3i's investment in his holding company.
Klaus Kappeler, CEO Goldbach Media, on the entry of investor 3i into his holding company.ww Is Goldbach Media doing so badly that you need an investor?Klaus Kappeler As you may know, our share price has increased more than fivefold this year. So our company should not be doing badly. We have held the share package since the merger of Goldbach Media and Medien Z Holding, when we bought back shares. Incidentally, we already said back then that we would place these ten percent back on the market. That is exactly what has now happened.
In the summer, you said that Goldbach would get back on its feet under its own steam. Now you are leaning on an investor.
The worst thing for a company is to buy its own shares. By placing our own shares now, we receive liquid funds with which we can build up a Mobile Marketing and Goldbach Media unit in Austria.
They also offered the 10 percent share package to PubliGroupe, among others. A deal did not materialize. Why is that?
I don't want to say anything about that.
3i will take a seat on the Goldbach Board of Directors. Will the BoD be enlarged?
Yes, by one seat. Apart from the 3i representative, who has not yet been determined, the BoD will remain exactly as before.
And what does the shareholder base look like now?
The shares are distributed as follows: The Board of Directors holds 37%, management and employees hold 12%. Shareholders from the customer base hold 17%, other shareholders hold 15%, 3i holds 10%, Beisheim Holding holds 7% and the company's own holdings amount to 2%.
The entry of an investor could indicate that you are aiming for an IPO in the medium term.
That is not an issue at the moment. 3i joined us because they recognized that the electronic media market is the fastest-growing market in the media sector. And that Goldbach Media is the most complete marketing company in this market. In addition, 3i provides us with a network because they are active throughout Europe and also have a lot of investments in mobile technology. This is interesting for us because we are expanding the mobile division and have now hired Mike Weber for this purpose as of December 1. For Goldbach Media, this new division is a further step within the overall strategy.
Could you briefly introduce Mike Weber?
He began his mobile era in 2000 as Head of Marketing Communications at Swisscom Mobile. Before that, he was Head of Non-Food Communications at Migros. He is supported by Tobias Fehrlin, who has developed cross-media concepts for online and radio in recent months.
Do you have a right of first refusal on the package that 3i now holds?
I do not disclose the contents of contracts. Moreover, we do not sell shares in order to buy them back later.
However, you may want to have a say in a resale.
You can imagine that we made the contract in the interests of Goldbach Media. I won't say any more.
A week ago, the European investment company 3i slammed the door on whom at the Goldbach
Media acquired a 10 percent stake. This raises questions. Why did 3i come into the picture and not the Swiss PubliGroupe, which had announced a second step in the marketing of electronic media for this year? Is 3i's entry as advantageous for Goldbach in terms of synergies as PubliGroupe's participation would have been? Did the Lausanne-based company turn down Goldbach, or did they miss the boat? Were there any obstacles under antitrust law? And now that the Goldbach doors are likely to remain closed for a while, does the advertising intermediary have any other options for its "second step"?
To clarify such questions, Werbewoche held separate discussions with Stefan Staub of PubliGroupe and Klaus Kappeler of Goldbach Media. (mk)
Interview: Markus Knöpfli
In the summer, you said that Goldbach would get back on its feet under its own steam. Now you are leaning on an investor.
The worst thing for a company is to buy its own shares. By placing our own shares now, we receive liquid funds with which we can build up a Mobile Marketing and Goldbach Media unit in Austria.
They also offered the 10 percent share package to PubliGroupe, among others. A deal did not materialize. Why is that?
I don't want to say anything about that.
3i will take a seat on the Goldbach Board of Directors. Will the BoD be enlarged?
Yes, by one seat. Apart from the 3i representative, who has not yet been determined, the BoD will remain exactly as before.
And what does the shareholder base look like now?
The shares are distributed as follows: The Board of Directors holds 37%, management and employees hold 12%. Shareholders from the customer base hold 17%, other shareholders hold 15%, 3i holds 10%, Beisheim Holding holds 7% and the company's own holdings amount to 2%.
The entry of an investor could indicate that you are aiming for an IPO in the medium term.
That is not an issue at the moment. 3i joined us because they recognized that the electronic media market is the fastest-growing market in the media sector. And that Goldbach Media is the most complete marketing company in this market. In addition, 3i provides us with a network because they are active throughout Europe and also have a lot of investments in mobile technology. This is interesting for us because we are expanding the mobile division and have now hired Mike Weber for this purpose as of December 1. For Goldbach Media, this new division is a further step within the overall strategy.
Could you briefly introduce Mike Weber?
He began his mobile era in 2000 as Head of Marketing Communications at Swisscom Mobile. Before that, he was Head of Non-Food Communications at Migros. He is supported by Tobias Fehrlin, who has developed cross-media concepts for online and radio in recent months.
Do you have a right of first refusal on the package that 3i now holds?
I do not disclose the contents of contracts. Moreover, we do not sell shares in order to buy them back later.
However, you may want to have a say in a resale.
You can imagine that we made the contract in the interests of Goldbach Media. I won't say any more.
A week ago, the European investment company 3i slammed the door on whom at the Goldbach
Media acquired a 10 percent stake. This raises questions. Why did 3i come into the picture and not the Swiss PubliGroupe, which had announced a second step in the marketing of electronic media for this year? Is 3i's entry as advantageous for Goldbach in terms of synergies as PubliGroupe's participation would have been? Did the Lausanne-based company turn down Goldbach, or did they miss the boat? Were there any obstacles under antitrust law? And now that the Goldbach doors are likely to remain closed for a while, does the advertising intermediary have any other options for its "second step"?
To clarify such questions, Werbewoche held separate discussions with Stefan Staub of PubliGroupe and Klaus Kappeler of Goldbach Media. (mk)
Interview: Markus Knöpfli
