Würzburg, December 12, 2006
Fachpresse AG (Zurich), a subsidiary of Vogel Business Medien, Würzburg, announces that it is taking over Compress Information Group AG as of January 1, 2007.
Compress Information Group AG in Thalwil, one of the largest independent Swiss specialist publishers with around 25 employees, publishes the IT specialist titles "InfoWeek" and "IT Reseller". "InfoWeek" is the best-selling Swiss IT business magazine with a paid circulation of 7323 copies (WEMF-certified); the associated website www.infoweek.ch is one of the leading IT portals in Switzerland. "IT Reseller" is the only Swiss business magazine for the Swiss IT industry and the computer trade. Compress is also organizing the specialist conference at Zurich's Orbit-iEX, the Swiss IT trade fair, starting next year.
For Vogel Business Medien, the acquisition represents a further strengthening of its international portfolio in the B2B media sector. The Würzburg-based media company is already heavily involved in IT communication, including with the publications of Vogel IT-Medien with "IT-Business", the German equivalent of "IT Reseller", the home entertainment publisher CyPress and the joint venture Vogel Burda Communications, publisher of the leading German user magazine "CHIP".
Claus Wüstenhagen, CEO of Vogel Business Medien: "For our subsidiary Fachpresse Zürich AG, this acquisition represents a very attractive expansion of its portfolio. From the perspective of the Vogel Medien Group as a whole, the Compress Information Group fits perfectly into our strategy of developing into a comprehensive, multimedia provider of specialist information with print objects, online portals and high-end events."
Compress Information Group AG will continue to operate as an independent publishing house in the future and consistently expand the existing titles in print and online form, for which the editorial and technical resources of Vogel Business Medien can now also be used. The founder and publisher Michael von Babo is leaving the company. Ursula Bettio, who has been with the Compress Information Group since 1989 and has been responsible for the publishing management of "InfoWeek" for the last five years, will be the sole managing director from January 1, 2007.
About Fachpresse Zürich AG
Fachpresse Zürich AG, based in Technopark Zurich, is a company of Vogel Business Medien, Würzburg. The company publishes trade journals and represents various Vogel Medien Group titles in Switzerland. It also manages titles from third-party publishers on an advertising lease basis. In Switzerland, around 30 employees work in Zurich (publishing, media consulting, editing, marketing), Goldach (finance and accounting, IT) and Sommentier, French-speaking Switzerland (editing).
The titles "SMM Schweizer Maschinenmarkt" and "MSM Le Mensuel de l'industrie", published by Fachpresse Zürich AG, are market leaders in Switzerland in the field of industrial trade journals. The annual "SMM/MSM Buyer's Guide" has provided the most important market overview of the Swiss mechanical and electrical engineering industries (MEM industries) for many years. It also publishes the model railroad magazine "LOKI".
Fachpresse Zürich AG also represents the following industrial magazines of the Vogel Business Group in Switzerland: "MM MaschinenMarkt Das Industriemagazin" (Germany), all other MM Industrial Magazines (Eastern Europe and Asia) and "konstruktionspraxis". These trade journals are generally leading titles in their sector in the respective country.
About Vogel Business Medien
The Vogel Medien Group in Würzburg is one of the world's leading media companies in the specialist publishing sector. The media company, which operates in more than 20 countries, offers trade magazines, specialist books, business-to-business information services and specialist events in areas such as the mechanical engineering industry, electronics, the automotive sector and information technology.
The Group's core business is divided into the Industry, Automotive and Mobility, IT Business & Technology, Legal/Economics/Taxes and Computer & Communications divisions. In addition, there are independent corporate units for the Online and Central Services divisions.
The activities of the Vogel Medien Group and its subsidiaries are concentrated in Europe and Asia. In Germany alone, around 900 employees at the main sites in Würzburg and Munich develop and produce over 50 magazines with a total annual circulation of more than 20 million copies. A total of over 100 titles are published in the international network. The best-known titles published by Vogel are CHIP, MM Maschinenmarkt Das Industriemagazin, kfz-betrieb, PROCESS and ElektronikPraxis. Electronic media, an in-depth book program, information services and marketing services as well as trade fairs and seminars round off the industry-oriented range.
The consolidated total turnover of the Vogel Medien Group currently stands at 165.6 million euros. 27% of this turnover is generated outside Germany.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Compress Information Group AG
Ursula Bettio
Seestrasse 99
CH-8800 Thalwil/Zurich
Tel. 044 722 77 00
ubettio@compress.ch
www.compress.ch
Fachpresse Zürich AG
Stefan Biedermann
Technoparkstrasse 1
CH-8005 Zurich
Tel. 044 445 33 33
sbiedermann@fachpresse.ch
www.fachpresse.ch
Vogel Business Media
Dr. Sabine Rohlff
D-97064 Würzburg
Tel. 0049 931 418 25 90
sabine_rohlff@vogel-medien.de
www.vogel.de
