Who will be the reference shareholder who will take over the 29.7% that the Bolloré group has agreed to sell in Editis, the number two in French publishing (Plon, Bordas, 10/18, etc.)? “Several candidates would be interested”, assures someone close to the file, knowing that the management of Vivendi has said that it does not wish to sell either to an investment fund or to a French competitor.
The list of potential suitors is growing visibly, but all deny it. The only one who, for the time being, does not hide being potentially interested in this acquisition is Daniel Kretinsky (indirect shareholder of the World). The Czech businessman, already present in the French media (Marianne, Elle…), bailed out the daily Release up to 14 million euros.
For the moment, he has not made a proposal and is waiting to know precisely the tender procedure which will be put in place by the three banks in charge of the operation, including Lazard and BNP Paribas, as well as the valuation of the company.
Bertelsmann, Mondadori, Bonnier…
Fimalac, the group of Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, LVMH, Kering, Bouygues, the Bettencourt family, the reinsurer Scor (which owns Humensis), the legal publisher Lefebvre Sarrut have all firmly denied wanting to position themselves on this takeover. Just like the E.Leclerc group, whose name was mentioned in the corridors of the Frankfurt Fair, which took place from October 19 to 23. Some observers mention the Swedish publisher Bonnier, others the Italian Mondadori, without this being confirmed. The hypothesis of the German Bertelsmann is also given, especially since it is not present in the edition in France.
For now, Bertelsmann has other views. Above all, it hopes, through its Penguin Random House subsidiary, to be able to acquire the prestigious Simon & Schuster house in the United States – the publisher of Francis Scott Fitzgerald, Stephen King or Don DeLillo –, put up for sale by Paramount. However, the Department of Justice is trying to block this takeover of an amount of 2.2 billion dollars (2.2 billion euros).
The soap opera of the takeover of Lagardère by Vivendi
If ever this transaction fails by the end of the year, Arnaud Lagardère announced on Thursday October 27 that the group he chairs (and which is the parent company of Hachette, the world’s third largest publishing ) will be a candidate. A 180 degree reversal, since Arnaud Lagardère had in extremis prevented Arnaud Nourry, then boss of Hachette Livre, from submitting an offer to enter the competition. This time, the CEO felt that if he could apply for the takeover of Simon & Schuster by teaming up with Vivendi, Lagardère would benefit “a little more”.
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