The president of the Madrigall group, he is worried about the future concentration of the book market in the hands of Vincent Bolloré.
The number three in books in France, the Madrigall group, “don’t try to be number two” on this market thanks to a merger between its rivals Hachette and Editis, said Wednesday the group’s president, Antoine Gallimard.
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Antoine Gallimard, grandson of the founder of the editions of the same name, was questioned by the Senate commission of inquiry into media concentration, which was interested in the publishing sector. In this market, the parent company of number two Editis, Vivendi, is preparing to launch an offer for Lagardère, that of number two Hachette. A merger would potentially propel Madrigall into second place. Antoine Gallimard, who spoke on behalf of the National Publishing Union, the professional organization of the sector, denied being interested in this prospect. “I’m not looking to be a number two or a number three. I’m looking for others to push, for there to be other publishing houses”he explained. “I don’t want to become an empire, far from it, but to be able to always develop the catalog”.
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Antoine Gallimard said he was worried about the power of a group that would control the two distribution subsidiaries of Hachette and Editis. “It is desirable that the one and the two do not merge”he insisted and “I think that, if there must be a number two, it must be a real number two, with real distribution and distribution tools of its own to really reopen competition”. With the current structuring of the market, and regulation by the single book price, “Our situation is still relatively valuable compared to abroad. A huge mass shouldn’t come and break all that.”added the leader.
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Asked what worries him, he replied: “It’s not Vincent Bolloré. It’s really the concentration: we insisted a lot on diversity, and access to the market.. “Even if Mr. Bolloré had all the best angelic intentions in the world, he will still know that it will be in his hand. If one day he does not agree to participate as a cooperative to other publishers, well he can close the tolls. And only his cars will go on the highway”, warned Antoine Gallimard. He specified that between them Hachette Livre and Editis weighed on the book market for 33% of sales in number of copies, 50% of distribution (commercial contracts with retailers), and 60% of distribution (logistics ).