AZ Medien sells Meissner books to Thalia Group
The AZ Medien Group has sold Meissner Bücher to the Thalia Group, the market leader in the Swiss book retail industry, effective retroactively as of January 1, 2007. Thalia will continue to rely on the Meissner brand.
The AZ Medien Group has sold Meissner Bücher to the Thalia Group, the market leader in the Swiss book trade, with retroactive effect from January 1, 2007. Thalia will continue to rely on the Meissner brand as well as the expertise and commitment of the 45 employees in Aarau, Baden and Brugg. Manfred Beck will remain Managing Director of Meissner Bücher; the Aarau, Baden and Brugg locations will be retained. According to a press release, AZ Medien has decided to sell in order to ensure the continued prosperous development of the traditional bookstores and to secure their existence in the highly competitive book market. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
Meissner Bücher has successfully positioned itself in the regional market. It generates sales of around CHF 13 million, stands out as a professionally competent bookshop and is also active in the mail order and online business. The branch in Baden was opened in the Langhaus in 2001, followed by the branch in the AZ Medienhaus in Aarau in 2005. The branch in Brugg will move to a central location on Neumarktplatz this spring.
For the Thalia Group, the purchase of Meissner Bücher is a further step towards expanding its market leadership in the Swiss book trade. On April 12, Thalia opens another bookstore in Aarau under the name Wirz Thalia.
Together with Stauffacher Buchhandlungen and ZAP, Thalia Bücher is part of Thalia Holding, based in Hagen, Germany. The group has a total of 17 locations in Switzerland and employs over 550 people. In addition to bricks-and-mortar retail, the group is also active in the online business. The parent company Thalia is part of the Douglas Holding.
Meissner Bücher has successfully positioned itself in the regional market. It generates sales of around CHF 13 million, stands out as a professionally competent bookshop and is also active in the mail order and online business. The branch in Baden was opened in the Langhaus in 2001, followed by the branch in the AZ Medienhaus in Aarau in 2005. The branch in Brugg will move to a central location on Neumarktplatz this spring.
For the Thalia Group, the purchase of Meissner Bücher is a further step towards expanding its market leadership in the Swiss book trade. On April 12, Thalia opens another bookstore in Aarau under the name Wirz Thalia.
Together with Stauffacher Buchhandlungen and ZAP, Thalia Bücher is part of Thalia Holding, based in Hagen, Germany. The group has a total of 17 locations in Switzerland and employs over 550 people. In addition to bricks-and-mortar retail, the group is also active in the online business. The parent company Thalia is part of the Douglas Holding.
