SanomaWSOY has agreed to acquire all shares in the Polish educational publishing company Nowa Era Sp. z o.o. In 2006, Nowa Era had pro forma consolidated net sales of some EUR 34 million. The acquisition is subject to the approval of Polish antitrust officials.
"Educational publishing is one of our key growth areas. This acquisition is one step forward in reaching our goal to become the leading European educational publisher," says Hannu Syrjänen, President and CEO of SanomaWSOY.
"With this transaction, we will gain entry to one of the Central Eastern Europe's largest educational markets. Nowa Era is a fast growing and strong number two player in the market, with a professional and skilled organisation and a talented management team - we believe it has excellent opportunities to gain market leadership in Poland," says Jacques Eijkens, CEO of SanomaWSOY Education. Nowa Era has a strong track record in anticipating the educational reforms and introducing ICT into their offerings. Nowa Era is also a partner for SanomaWSOY's international eLearning publisher Young Digital Planet.
Nowa Era group will be consolidated with SanomaWSOY Education. Mariusz Koper, Chairman of the Board of Nowa Era, will continue in his position and will join SanomaWSOY Education's management team. "I believe that SanomaWSOY can bring us considerable resources and know-how to further develop our operations in the Polish market," says Mariusz Koper.
Nowa Era offers a wide range of educational materials in all subjects for both primary and secondary educational levels. Established in 1992, Nowa Era has grown rapidly both through organic growth and acquisitions. In 2006, it has acquired an 80% shareholding in Vulcan, the market leader in management software for educational institutions. In total, Nowa Era group employs 430 persons.
SANOMAWSOY CORPORATION
Matti Salmi
Senior Vice President
Finance and Administration
Additional information:
Barend de Graaff, CFO, SanomaWSOY Education, tel. +31 73 628 7521
SanomaWSOY's Group Communications, tel. +358 105 19 5062 or ir@sanomawsoy.fi
SanomaWSOY Education is one of the leading educational publishers in Europe. The group serves its customers by offering them a broad range of educational products and services and it also enhances education by making learning processes attractive and effective. SanomaWSOY Education consists of companies in the Netherlands (Malmberg), in Belgium (Van In), in Finland (WSOY Oppimateriaalit), in Hungary (Láng Kiadó és Holding) and in Poland (Young Digital Planet). SanomaWSOY Education is part of SanomaWSOY Education and Books, which is one of the five divisions of the SanomaWSOY Group.
SanomaWSOY is the leading media group in the Nordic region operating in versatile fields of media in over 20 European countries. The Group has five divisions: Sanoma Magazines, Sanoma, SanomaWSOY Education and Books, SWelcom, and Rautakirja. In 2006, the Group employed over 18,000 people and its net sales were some EUR 2.7 billion.