CMS Hasche Sigle advises Holtzbrinck Verlag on sale of majority holding in Konstanzer Südkurier to Pressedruck media group

Stuttgart – The Pressedruck media group in Augsburg is acquiring 51% of the shares in Constance-based Südkurier Medienhaus from the Georg von Holtzbrinck publishing group. This acquisition enables the Augsburg-based group of companies to expand its position as one of the leading regional newspaper publishers in Germany. The transaction is currently awaiting approval from Germany’s Federal Cartel Office. The purchase price was not disclosed.

A team led by lead partners Dr Thomas Meyding and Dr Maximilian Grub advised on the sale of the majority stake in Südkurier GmbH held by the Georg von Holtzbrinck publishing group.

With average paid-for sales of around 128,000, the Südkurier reaches some 390,000 readers each day. The distribution region comprises southern Baden-Württemberg, the Lake Constance region, the Black Forest and the Upper Rhine. Apart from the daily newspaper, the business interests of the Constance media firm include free sheets, magazines, new media, online portals, radio, printing, communication services and delivery of letters and brochures.

The regional dailies published by the Pressedruck media group include the Augsburger Allgemeine, Allgäuer Zeitung and Main-Post. Going forward, it intends to pursue sustainable growth for the Südkurier in partnership with the Georg von Holtzbrinck publishing group. This year the newspaper was awarded the title of "Best regional newspaper in Germany" by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

Advisers CMS Hasche Sigle:

Dr Thomas Meyding, Corporate, M&A
Dr Maximilian Grub, Corporate, M&A
Dr Barbara Wössner, Corporate
Dr Florian Hofer, Corporate
Dr Tobias Grau, Corporate
Birgit Weber, Corporate

Inhouse (von Holtzbrinck publishing group):

Dr Anka Reich
Dr Sabine Knauer