Ringier establishes joint venture with Infront Sports & Media
Ringier is establishing a joint venture with Infront Sports & Media in Zug, the largest international sports marketing company headquartered in Switzerland.
Infront is best known as a marketer in soccer and winter sports, as the Sunday newspaper writes in its current issue. The company's figureheads are Günter Netzer as a member of the Board of Directors and President and CEO Philippe Blatter, the nephew of Fifa President Sepp Blatter. The main shareholder is Jacobs Holding. Sales are around 750 million Swiss francs.
The new 50:50 investment company will be called InfrontRingier for short and will have its headquarters in Zug, as the Sonntagszeitung continues to write. It is expected to become operational in the middle of this year. The recently founded artist and sports agency Poole Position will also be brought into the joint venture. Poole Position is also a 50:50 joint venture with Germany's Kickmedia, the largest management agency in the German-speaking world.
Subject to the necessary approvals, the joint venture will be launched in mid-2011. Armin Meier will take over as managing director from July 1, 2011, Ringier announced on Monday. Until then, Bruno Marty, Infront's CEO of the Winter Sports division, will lead the new joint venture. Armin Meier has been director of marketing and sponsorship at Ringier Switzerland and a member of the extended management board at Ringier Switzerland and Germany since October 1, 2010. Until the start of the joint venture, Meier will oversee the handover of current projects and continue to market the Rose d'Or Festival.
