Edipresse acquires stake in Swiss Printers
Edipresse, a publishing house based in French-speaking Switzerland, is joining forces with the two German-speaking Swiss publishers Ringier and NZZ in the competitive battle among commercial printing companies.
The French-speaking Swiss publishing house Edipresse is joining forces with the two German-speaking Swiss publishers Ringier and NZZ in the competition between commercial printers. IRL (Impriméries Réunies Lausanne), the printing plant of the Edipresse Group, has acquired a stake in the printing group Swiss Printers, which was founded by NZZ and Ringier in 2004. This means that the largest group in the Swiss printing industry is now also expanding into French-speaking Switzerland. According to an Edipresse press release, the merger will not result in any job cuts or restructuring at IRL, which has an annual turnover of around CHF 50 million with 230 employees and will join Swiss Printers with retroactive effect from January 1, 2006. Last year, Swiss Printers achieved a turnover of over 300 million francs with 1,200 employees. Ringier Print Holding remains the main shareholder with a stake of 58.8%, while AG für die Neue Zürcher Zeitung now holds 25.2% and Edipresse 16% of the share capital. The deal still has to be approved by the Competition Commission. The Board of Directors, headed by Martin Werfeli, CEO of Ringier, will be supplemented by Michel Berney, Edipresse, and Alfred Hümmerich, NZZ.
