Will Springier now be followed by Sprey?

Publishing house Filippo Leutenegger's trip to Springer's Hamburg headquarters is fueling speculation about a sale of Jean Frey.Tito Tettamanti, the largest single shareholder in Jean Frey AG with 25 percent, made no secret in a Facts interview last week that the time was ripe for a sale of his stake in the publisher of Weltwoche and Bilanz. As luck would have it, Jean Frey CEO Filippo Leutenegger was at a meeting at the Hamburg headquarters of Axel Springer Verlag that same week. Also sitting at the table alongside board member Martin Wagner was HandelsZeitungs publisher Ralph Büchi, Springer's representative in Switzerland. When asked, Büchi denied that there was any talk of a purchase or participation in Jean Frey AG. "Springer has a young board of directors who want to get to know the key people in the Swiss publishing industry. I organized that." Leutenegger himself told Werbewoche: "A sale of Jean Frey AG is not an issue" and remained silent about the content of the meeting.
The fact is that Springer is looking for further reinforcement in Switzerland. Following the failed merger with Ringier, Jean Frey AG would be an ideal new takeover candidate - with synergy potential between HandelsZeitung and Bilanz, for example.
(dse)