Orell Füssli and Thalia become Orell Füssli Thalia
Following the Swiss Competition Commission Weko, the German and Austrian competition authorities have also given the green light to the merger of Orell Füssli and Thalia Bücher.
Nothing now stands in the way of the establishment of the new Swiss book company with the corporate name Orell Füssli Thalia. According to the announcement, the two companies will each take a 50 per cent stake in Orell Füssli Thalia, which will be formally established in the next few days. The company will be headquartered in Zurich. The board of directors has equal representation. The members are Michel Kunz, Chairman (Orell Füssli Holding), Jürg Bodenmann, Vice Chairman (Thalia Books), Michael Busch (Thalia Holding), Maximilian Hugendubel (Orell Füssli Buchhandlungs-AG). Michele Bomio (previously Managing Director Thalia Books) was appointed CEO.
The actual merger of the activities of the two previous companies and the start of the operational activities of Orell Füssli Thalia are scheduled for the beginning of October 2013. In the meantime, the management team will press ahead with the preparatory work for the operational merger.
With the merger, Orell Füssli and Thalia aim to meet the challenges in the book market. Those responsible are convinced that with the new company they have the prerequisites to stand up to the big international suppliers, particularly in the online sector.
The Executive Board of Orell Füssli Thalia is composed of the following executives:
Michele Bomio, CEO and responsible for Marketing and Communications (previously Thalia), André Banz, Head of Purchasing, Logistics and IT (previously Orell Füssli), Giulio Pè, Head of Stationary and Business Customer Sales (previously Orell Füssli), Pascal Schneebeli, CFO and Head of E-Commerce (previously Thalia), Barbara Valenta Lüscher, Head of Human Resources and Organizational Development (previously Orell Füssli).
