The Küng Group has developed into the Swiss market leader in the puzzle sector over the past 20 years under Thomas Küng and is showing very healthy growth, according to a statement issued on Tuesday. The company includes Küng Verlags AG, with its range of puzzle magazines, books and digital publishing products, and Rätsel Agentur, which supplies the B2B sector with print and online puzzles in three national languages and offers its customers prize-game services.
Sole owner Thomas Küng sees the sale to Keesing as the logical continuation of his company: "Also for reasons of age, I have been patiently searching for years for a suitable successor that would offer my company and my employees prospects for the future. In the highly competitive market, a sale to a weighty competitor was always one of the realistic options. Keesing has long stood for a long-term strategy in the puzzle segment. This is another reason why my decision was ultimately made in favor of Keesing."
"I am very pleased that we were able to take this step into the Swiss market. Until now, we were only active in the French-speaking part of Switzerland with our Megastar brand," says Philip Alberdingk Thijm, CEO of Keesing. "Over the years, Thomas Küng and the Küng Group team have built his company very successfully. They have built a strong market position through their passion for manufacturing and selling great products. We are eager to support the team in their next phase of growth by continuing to expand in both the print and digital puzzle markets."
The purchase was concluded as of July 1, 2021. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
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Tamara Mattiussi's main task, in addition to cultivating the existing broad clientele in the print sector, will be to provide intensive support for various projects in the digital entertainment segment.
After working as Head of Reader Marketing at AZ Medien, the 47-year-old spent several years as Business Manager Switzerland for Reader's Digest and lectured at the Media Institute of the Swiss Media. In 2006, she took over as publishing director of the Swiss creative magazine Manuell.
Thomas Küng is the owner of Rätsel Agentur and Küng Verlag, which specializes primarily in the publication of puzzle magazines in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. Thomas Küng: "The demands on the Rätsel Agentur have become greater and greater in the twenty years of its existence. We have kept up with media developments with puzzle apps, online services and interactive solutions. Following in the footsteps of Küng Verlag, the Rätsel Agentur is also set to become even more internationally oriented. With the commitment of Tamara Mattiussi as Managing Director, we can competently implement this strategy." Thomas Küng remains Managing Director of Küng Verlag.