The list of possible buyers of number two of the French edition is getting longer. The Brussels Commission postponed its decision to the Lagardère acquisition operation by Vivendi.
by Nicole Vulser
to May 23
A new suitor, Stéphane Courbit, head of the Banijay audiovisual production group and Betclic sports betting, is added, according to BFM Business, to the list of candidates for the buyout of Editis, the French n ° 2 The edition (10/18, Bordas, Plon…) put on sale by its owner Vivendi. The latter was resolved, this summer, to sell this subsidiary hoping to convince the authorities responsible for competition to the European Commission to let it acquire Lagardère, the mother house of Hachette, the very profitable n ° 3 of the editing. Stéphane Courbit makes no comments and therefore does not deny his interest in Editis.
However, this relative of Vincent Bolloré is likely to be in conflict of interest in such an operation since Vivendi holds 19.9 % of FL Entertainment, the side group which oversees Banijay and Betclic.
Vivendi wishes to give way Editis according to a so-called “distribution-cotation” scheme, selling a reference shareholder the 29.6 % personally owned by Vincent Bolloré and by putting the rest of the capital on the shareholders of the shareholders of the shareholders of Vivendi. Negotiations with other possible buyers are already underway, such as the Czech businessman Daniel Krétensky – the only one who has officially declared his interest in Editis -; Rodolphe Saadé, CEO of the CMA CGM shipowner; The Reworld Media magazines group; The Italian publisher Mondadori and Xavier Niel, shareholder of the world on an individual basis.
“strong recommendations”
The European Commission acted, Friday, December 16, the delivery by Vivendi of this “remedy” to its merger with Lagardère. And after launching an in -depth investigation into this acquisition operation, fearing that it “does not reduce the diversity, accessibility and affordable character of books in French”, Brussels extended, Tuesday, December 20, reflection until May 23. Nothing says that the antitrust authorities will not prefer another solution, such as the sale of 100 % of the capital of Editis. The Commission also launched a public inquiry into the People press (Paris Match, Gala and here), sector where the absorption of Lagardère by Vivendi can also pose competition problems.
Within Editis, staff representatives, who ask to be received by the management of Vivendi, have developed, with the help of the Secafi-Alpha socio-economic expertise firm, a detailed document that carries ” Strong recommendations “for the choice of the buyer. This text reaffirms “the attachment of employees to the integrity of the group’s perimeter, both in terms of editorial centers and dissemination of integrated distribution, two structuring elements which have been wages of stability and growth”.
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