Will there be another takeover in the Swiss press landscape
In June, Albert Polo Stäheli, CEO of the NZZ Group, stated in an interview with the Handelszeitung that he would be interested in acquiring the 37% share package held by Publigroupe in the Basler Zeitung if the majority owner, the Hagemann family, also saw it that way.
Now there seems to be movement in the matter. As the Tages Anzeiger reports in today's edition, talks between Stäheli , Publigroupe and BaZ publisher Matthias Hagemann appear to be close to completion. The deal should be finalized before Christmas. The possibility of a collaboration with Peter Wanner's Aargauer AZ Group at a later date cannot be ruled out.
The BaZ would fit in well with the NZZ Group's portfolio, which today includes the NZZ, the St. Galler Tagblatt with the associated newspapers in Appenzell, the Rhine Valley, Toggenburg and Will, the Neue Luzerner Zeitung with offshoots in Nid- and Obwalden, Schwyz, Uri and Zug, the Zürcher Unterländer, the Zürcher Oberländer and the Zürichsee-Zeitung. Polo Stäheli gave the NZZ Group its first new management structure at Group level shortly after taking office. He pushed for greater cooperation between the regional newspapers. By including the BaZ and possibly the Mittellandzeitung in the group, the synergy potential thus created could be significantly increased. The NZZ Group could thus further improve its position in the Swiss newspaper market and form a strong counterpart to Tamedia in the subscription daily press sector.
The BaZ would fit in well with the NZZ Group's portfolio, which today includes the NZZ, the St. Galler Tagblatt with the associated newspapers in Appenzell, the Rhine Valley, Toggenburg and Will, the Neue Luzerner Zeitung with offshoots in Nid- and Obwalden, Schwyz, Uri and Zug, the Zürcher Unterländer, the Zürcher Oberländer and the Zürichsee-Zeitung. Polo Stäheli gave the NZZ Group its first new management structure at Group level shortly after taking office. He pushed for greater cooperation between the regional newspapers. By including the BaZ and possibly the Mittellandzeitung in the group, the synergy potential thus created could be significantly increased. The NZZ Group could thus further improve its position in the Swiss newspaper market and form a strong counterpart to Tamedia in the subscription daily press sector.
