Walter Bosch sees "great opportunities" at Jean Frey AG
Walter Bosch, a former advertising executive and Ringier consultant, is considering buying Jean Frey shares through Swissfirst for a European private equity fund.
Ex-advertiser and Ringier consultant Walter Bosch is considering buying Jean Frey shares from Swissfirst for a European private equity fund, he told WerbeWoche, confirming a report in SonntagsBlick. Bosch has represented the unnamed London-based fund, which invests exclusively in media projects, for a year. "Strategically, an investment in Jean Frey AG would make sense," says Bosch. Whether it would also be financially worthwhile is currently being clarified. Bosch himself assesses the share price as "not beyond good and evil" (see page 15). However, a prerequisite for an investment would be a "significant minority stake" and the opportunity to influence the strategy, "otherwise we are not interested". Bosch denied that he was working for the Apax investor group, as well as the assumption that he was being used as a Trojan horse for Ringier. Bosch emphasized that as a former Weltwoche editor, Bilanz columnist and publishing director of Ringier, he was able to assess the risks of Jean Frey AG. "This publishing house has great opportunities if you do it right," he said. It is important that people who understand the business are involved in the decision-making process. Bosch added that "his" fund calculates a return on investment of five to seven years, "which should be enough for Jean Frey AG." (mk)
