"Detailed discussion" about purchase offer for Blick Group
The Blick Group is arousing covetousness. After a purchase offer was received in January, Ringier CEO Marc Walder and Basel business lawyer Martin Wagner had an "extensive discussion" about this offer. However, since the Blick Group was not for sale, Ringier later turned it down.
The NZZ research am Sonntag last week about a purchase offer for the Blick Group, which initially prompted denials and diversionary tactics, finally led to Ringier's statement on Saturday afternoon. Danja Spring, spokeswoman for Ringier, confirmed the NZZ am Sonntag reports - at least in part. In view of Martin Wagner's existing connections to Ringier, meaning Wagner's function as legal representative of part of the joint venture Ringier Axel Springer Switzerland, and the fact that he had played a role in various media deals in the past, it was natural to talk to him about it, she said. "Walter Frey was named as the main investor vis-à-vis Ringier," Spring writes.
Wagner, for his part, told SDA on request that he had submitted a written offer of 200 million Swiss francs. Investors were not mentioned by name in it. Wagner did not confirm that the car dealer and former SVP National Council member Walter Frey was named as the main investor, as the NZZ am Sonntag writes.
Ringier writes that it was plausible for attorney Wagner to name his client Frey as the main investor in the conversation and to comment in detail on his media commitment.
Walter Frey is also listed on a schematic of the project distributed by Martin Wagner, which she was able to see in the course of her research, writes the NZZ am Sonntag. The diagram shows the concept for the new Blick Group. At the top, the investor group is noted: "Walter Frey. Abu Dhabi Media Group".
Since there is now no longer a target, there is also no longer an investor group, Wagner announced. The high purchase offer was based on an "ingenious, digital sports daily newspaper model with paid content," he said. " Wagner confirmed a corresponding report by Schweiz am Wochenende. Christoph Blocher had nothing to do with these plans, and there was no hidden political agenda either.
There are also other opinions on this: "Weltwoche wrote on Thursday that Christoph Blocher was behind the purchase offer for the Blick Group - Frey would therefore be his straw man. Blocher had wanted to know at what limit Ringier would become weak," writes the NZZ am Sonntag.
Frey denied to Schweiz am Wochenende that he had made a direct or indirect investment offer. SDA was unable to reach him for comment. (red.)
