issn 1662-0658 gazette · [email protected] + 971 4 417 4800 jashanmal & sons w.l.l....

gazette2018

ISSN 1662-0658

Welcome to Rome – Benvenuto a Roma

NEWDCM Distripress Circulation Monitor 2018

ITALYn Portrait SODIPn Portrait Messintern Portrait Panini

FRANCEInterview with Michèle Benbunan, Presstalis

Editorial

Welcome to Rome – the Eternal City

Dear Readers,

tanti auguri! or congratulations: The upcoming 63rd Distripress Congress will be hosted in a unique city that is one of the cradles of European culture. You’ve never been there before? As a historian I can assure you: You’ll be deeply impressed by Italy’s capital and its cultural offerings!

In this issue of the Gazette, I would also like to inform you in advance of the Forum Presentations which will take place on Monday, 1 October. The impressive list of speakers will focus on diversification, print brand success and the future of retail. Please see page 11 in this Gazette to read about the speaker profiles.

Furthermore I recommend to you Jim Bilton’s presentation of the results of the latest Distripress Circulation Monitor (DCM). The preliminary results can be found in this magazine, starting from page 16.

Also of interest in this edition of the Gazette are our arti-cles in our heading DISTRIBUTION WORLD - Italy portraying and analysing our host country’s press market with its manifold scene, from Messinter over SODIP to Panini publishing house. Starting from page 20.

I can also recommend my interview with Presstalis’ Michèle Benbunan. For the first time the Présidente-directrice générale/CEO of the i mportant French distribution company speaks out challenges and a crisis that could be surmountedt (p. 42).

I hope that you enjoy a successful Distripress Congress in this wonderful city.

Yours,Ralf DeppeEditor-in-chief

CONTENTS

Welcome Letter: Distripress President, Carine Nevejans 6

DISTRIPRESS CONGRESSInterview with Fabrizio Carotti, General Manager FIEG, Italy 8

Event Outline 10

Forum Speakers 11

Business Conference / Social Events 14

Company Profiles 48

Rome – Useful Information 53

Distripress Congress Sponsors 2018 54

Distripress Expo / Information stands 55

DISTRIPRESS CIRCuLaTION MONITOR 2018Finding opportunity in disruption 16

DISTRIPRESS TRaINING FOuNDaTION 2018 19

DISTRIbuTION WORLD - ITaLYBreaking news from Italy 20

Inside Italy‘s newspaper Market 24

So.Di.P.: The first big independent National Distributor 26

Panini: From newspaper kiosk to sticker empire 30

Messinter: Italian passion combined with German efficiency 34

DISTRIbuTION WORLDDigital subscriptions – The future of publishing 38

Presstalis: Back on track 42Interview with Michèle Benbunan, Présidente-directrice générale / Chairman and CEO Presstalis, Paris

Press logistics firm Güll taps into new markets 46

Acknowledgements 58

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Dear Friends, Colleagues and Guests!

On behalf of the Distripress Executive Committee (EC) and management team, welcome to the eternal city of Rome and our 63rd annual Congress.

I know that many of you have fond memories of our last visit to the Waldorf Astoria, Cavalieri hotel in 1999. I have no doubt that this wonderful venue and city will, once again, deliver an outstanding Congress.

I am very proud to be addressing you in my second term as President. I would like to thank our members and my EC colleagues for their continued support and commitment to Distripress. The Asso-ciation has enjoyed another exciting twelve months, during which you, the members, elected a new EC which was announced in September 2017, during the Estoril Congress.

The new EC of eleven-member representatives is made up of six previous EC members and five new members. The EC has met four times in the past twelve months and continues to build on the agreed strategic action plan and financial model to enhance member value and build our community for the fu-ture.

The 2017/18 Annual Report presents a very pleasing result with the Association delivering a ma-terial profit of 160k CHF in the year. This is an out-standing performance and the first time that a profit of this size has been achieved in some years. This result was made possible due to the direction taken by the former EC over the past three years to make radical changes in the structure of the Association. Plus, the effort of the management team to deliver the agreed objectives.

The 2017 Congress in Portugal was a huge suc-cess which contributed to the profitable year. This was in terms of delegate numbers and the execution of the event at a cost-effective venue which met our needs. Member feedback on the location and facili-ties was overwhelmingly positive. I am therefore de-lighted to be able to announce that Estoril is firmly on our venue list for a future Congress.

6 gazette 2018 PRESIDENT‘S WELCOME LETTER©

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Finally, the financial result for the year was sup-ported by the generous sponsorship contributions of member companies. Once again, my sincere thanks to all our sponsors.

The Association running costs remain under close control. Since 2012 the operating costs have reduced by 38%. This means that we now have a cost base which is more appropriate for the size of our operation. Whilst member numbers continue to come under market pressure, we continue to attract new members with 13 joining in the 2017 year, and ten so far in 2018. Growing our membership across the member types – publisher, distributor and ancil-lary service providers – is critical to the future of Distripress. This is why we launched a ‘member re-fer member’ incentive in May 2018. If you haven’t already taken advantage of this, please talk to the management team to find out more.

It is especially pleasing to be able to report that attendance at the Rome congress is anticipated to be similar to last year. I hope that those delegates on ‘regular’ cards enjoy the new ‘dynamic’ meeting space we are incorporating in the business meeting hall. Do let us know your thoughts so that we can continue to improve your Congress experience.

This year’s Welcome Reception will take place on Sunday 30 September at Villa Miani, located next door to the Cavalieri hotel. This stunning venue has spacious gardens and breath-taking views of St. Pe-ter’s Basilica and the city beyond. We are assured a memorable evening.

The Forum on Monday morning will start at 09.00 and you are encouraged to register in good time to secure your seat. Our impressive list of guest speakers will be presenting on diversification, print brand success and the future of retail. Plus, the launch of a new initiative to promote the freedom of distribution.

Please refer to page 11 of the Gazette to read the speaker profiles of Fabrizio Carotti, Director General of F.I.E.G, Italy; Nicolas Meire, CEO, Ubiway,

Belgium; Pierre Haski, President, Reporters Without Borders; Dominic Miles, Partner at L.E.K Consulting; Tyler Brule, Editor in Chief and Chairman, Monocle.

Jim Bilton, from Wessenden Marketing, UK, will present an executive summary of the fifth annual Circulation Monitor report, to which so many of you have kindly contributed.

The Expo lounge will be home to some famil-iar and new exhibitors keen to promote their prod-ucts and services. We are delighted that this includes suppliers of non-press products who have enjoyed commercial benefit from exhibiting at Distripress congresses in recent years. I invite you to engage with them to find out more about the opportunity to work together.

The Distripress Training Foundation (DTF) will be re-launched in 2019 and the committee is keen to engage member input in the planning phase. Please take a few moments to visit the DTF stand and share your thoughts and ideas.

We will conclude the Congress with ‘Welcome to Berlin’ drinks on the evening of 3 October on the Terrazza degli Aranci at the Cavalieri. Please join us to close the Rome Congress and look forward to meeting again in September 2019 in Berlin. We will also announce the winners of the photo competition which was such a big success last year.

Details of the event schedule, competitions, speaker profiles, exhibitors etc. are available to all delegates via our Congress App.

In closing, I would like to express my sincere thanks to our members, partners, sponsors and contributors for their continued support of the As-sociation.

Ci vediamo presto a Roma. I look forward to seeing you all during our time together in Rome.

Best wishes

Carine Nevejans,President

PRESIDENT‘S WELCOME LETTER gazette 2018 7

« Our impressive list of FORUM guest speakers will be presenting on diversification, print brand success

and the future of retail. Plus, the launch of a new initiative to promote the freedom of distribution. »

Carine Nevejans, President

Need to safeguard the network of press kiosks

Fabrizio Carotti, General Manager of the Italian Newspaper Publishers Federation (FIEG), speaks out on Italy’s position as an attractive tourist destination and the country’s stable network of press kiosks.

news they publish and the speed of dissemination of digital platform is unbeatable. In this context the fundamental necessity is to safeguard the existing network of newspaper kiosks by number and cov-erage, modernizing and strengthening it to bring together supply and demand and to multiply the opportunities for meetings between newspapers and players.

FIEG has entered into a protocol with ANCI – the association of Italian municipalities – in order to expand the categories of goods and services offered to the public and the value-added services for local governments.

Distripress Gazette: Looking at domestic segments: which magazines perform a) Very good; b) quite well; c) could be better; d) poor?

Fabrizio Carotti: Unfortunately, the general trend is negative for all segments, even if the generalist weekly magazines are suffering the most. The less affected segments are related to cooking, puzzles, crosswords, collector cards and kids.

Distripress Gazette: Talking about perspectives: How do you see the future of international press with respect to imported press in Italy?

Fabrizio Carotti: Italy is a tourist destination. The number of visitors is huge. However, most stays are short, and visitors have packed schedules and little

Distripress Gazette: Mr. Carotti, what is the main trend for the domestic press in Italy? Concerning re-tail and subscriptions?

Fabrizio Carotti: The Italian domestic press market is facing similar challenges to the rest of Europe. Publishers are struggling with decreasing circulation and advertising revenues. There is a general selling point decrease from 40,000 in 2004 to 27,500 at the end of 2016 and local distributor decrease, from 150 to 80-90. The progressive reduction of local distributors has increased situations where a single distributor oper-ates "exclusively" on territorially large areas. The concentration of local distributors, though justi-fied by the need to achieve efficiency, has however increased the dominant position of distributors and the dispute between distributors and retailers. New digital platforms are competing directly with news-papers and magazines for their customers’ attention and leisure time, leading to a trend of declining press sales. The subscription market in Italy is very lim-ited, representing only 6/% of total paid circulation overall.

Distripress Gazette: What is the trend concerning domestic newspapers?

Fabrizio Carotti: the two-year period 2015 - 2016 closes with an overall decrease in the circulation of newspapers by 20%. Digital platforms are affecting newspaper sales strongly. Newspapers survive on the

8 gazette 2018 DISTRIPRESS CONGRESS

spare time for reading newspapers and magazines. The increasing number of tourists should contri-bute to slowing down the decline of international press.

Distripress Gazette: Which segments will perform successfully even in the future?

Fabrizio Carotti: Generally speaking, segments re-lated to entertainment and lifestyle might continue to perform well in the future. Products targeting young kids will always be successful since parents need to entertain them and want to keep them away from electronic goods. Kids are also attracted by the sensory experience of printed products.

Distripress Gazette: Which segments will become less important?

Fabrizio Carotti: All segments that rely solely on news are under threat. The focus must be on addi-tional information, analysis and commentary of the news and not on the news itself.

Distripress Gazette: In terms of sales – what is the ratio of retail and subscription services?

Fabrizio Carotti: in Italy retail will continue to be the main sales channel for press products. The per-centage of copies sold by newsstands remained sub-stantially stable, despite the introduction of digital copies, which did not exist in 2007: In 2007 sales

of newspapers and magazines made via newsstands constituted 80% of the total and today represent 79%. For this reason, it’s important to ensure pro-tection and enhancement of the publishing product, the liberalization of distribution and the moderniza-tion of newsstands for the sale of newspapers and the provision of other services to the citizen, the re-balancing of the advertising market and the neces-sary specificity of the labor market.

Lately the Italian Government introduced rules aimed at liberalizing the market (Law 96/2017). The new laws, however, do not contain any express re-peal of the old framework of the press market rules, whose structure, in fact, remains the one outlined by Legislative Decree 170/01. It is essential to advance the process of liberalization. n

Questions: Ralf Deppe, Distripress Gazette

DISTRIPRESS CONGRESS gazette 2018 9

« The future focus must be on additional information, analysis

and commentary of the news and not on the news itself. »

Fabrizio Carotti, General Manager, Italian Newspaper

Publishers Federation (FIEG)

© FIEG

Congress Event outline

Sunday, 30 September 2018

Registration desk open 13.00-17.30

Welcome Reception at ‘Villa Miani’ 19.00-23.00 (located next to the Cavalieri Hotel) With sponsorship contribution from

Monday, 1 October 2018


Forum Presentations 09.00-12.30

Expo lounge opens 12.45/13.00

Lunch served 13.00-14.15

Business meeting hall open 13.00-18.00

Tuesday, 2 October 2018 Registration desk open 08.00-18.00

Breakfast Symposium on successful diversification strategies 08.00-09.30 Note: attendance by RSVP only. Open to member company delegates only

Expo lounge and Business meeting hall open 08.30-18.00


Wednesday, 3 October 2018


Expo lounge and Business meeting hall open 08.30-18.00


Welcome to Berlin 2019 drinks 18.30-20.30 on the ‘Terrazza degli Aranci’ on the top floor of Cavalieri Hotel.

Sponsored by

The above timings are subject to change.

The 2018 Distripress Congress will take place at the Rome Cavalieri, Waldorf astoria Hotels & Resorts,

from Sunday 30 September to Wednesday 3 October 2018.



Nicolas Meire – CEO Ubiway, Belgium

Forum Speakers

Since 1 February 2017, Nicolas Meire has been the CEO of Ubiway, the bpost af-filiate offering innovative and efficient distribution solutions to publishers and a network of 5,500 sales outlets. Prior to his appointment at Ubiway, Nicolas was involved with bpost, where he fulfilled several leading roles including HR Direc-tor, Change Director and National Operations Director.

Nicolas obtained a Master’s degree in Applied Economics and has gained in-depth knowledge in Financial Management and Consulting for Change by earning a Master after Master’s Degree and an Executive Master’s Degree.

Nicolas will be ensuring the further development of the various entities with-in the Ubiway group, including AMP, Alvadis, Burnonville, kariboo! and Ubiway Retail.

Nicolas Meire: “At Ubiway, we’re lining up an ambitious project. In collabo-ration with bpost, we’ll continue to expand the operations of the group and keep striving to provide a quality service that focuses on diversification, distribution and innovation”.

Pierre Haski – President, Reporters Without Borders

Pierre Haski has been the President of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) since June 2017. Co-founder of the website Rue89, Pierre Haski worked for the French daily Libération and served as a correspondent in many countries including Chi-na, South Africa and Israel. He is also the author of best-selling books. Today, he writes for the weekly magazine L’Obs.

Fabrizio Carotti – General Manager of FIEG, Italy

Lawyer, chartered accountant and auditor, he is General Manager of the Italian Newspaper Publishers Federation (FIEG), Vice President of INPGI, President of the National Social Security Fund for workers of daily newspapers. He previously also held the position of General Manager of Finance at the Ministry of Economy and Finance; General Manager of Messaggero S.p.A.; President of ADS (Accertamento Diffusione Stampa) and President of the Italian Newsstand Consortium.He has taught and trained and published books, articles, speeches and essays.

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Tyler Brûlé – Editor in Chief and Chairman, Monocle. Chairman and CEO, Winkreative

Tyler Brûlé is widely considered one of the most influential media innovators of his generation. He launched Monocle in 2007 and since its inception the brand has grown into a unique global media entity that successfully combines print, web, retail and broadcast (film and radio) components.Brûlé was born in Canada and moved to the UK to pursue a career as a foreign correspondent. He worked as a reporter for the BBC, before turning to print journalism where he wrote for The Independent, Stern, The Sunday Times, The Observer and Vanity Fair.In 1996 Brûlé launched Wallpaper*, a title that became a publishing phenom-enon when it brought together the worlds of design, architecture, fashion, food and travel in one title for the first time, and went on to sell in over 50 countries. The magazine won numerous awards for its design, international relevance and use of typography, and in 2001 Brûlé became the youngest ever recipient of the British Society of Magazine Editors Lifetime Achievement Award.In May 2002 Brûlé sold his stake in Wallpaper* to focus on developing Winkrea-tive, the full- service branding and design agency he set up in 1998. This award-winning business is distinguished by its international focus, editorial author-ity and global reach. Clients include: Lexus, Louis Vuitton, Mackintosh, Porter Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Hermès, The Government of Thailand, Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, Grosvenor, Wimbledon and American Express.Monocle has become the second ground-breaking publication of Brûlé’s career. It is a monthly international briefing on current affairs, business, culture and design read by over 84,000 paying readers across the globe, with an additional one million people tuning into its radio service, Monocle24, every month.Monocle, which is published 10 times a year, is distributed in over 65 markets and its reach includes a network of over 30 correspondents, seven bureaux and an expanding mix of video and audio programming.It also has two dedicated seasonal publications per year: The Forecast and The Escapist. Monocle has also teamed up with publishers Gestalten to launch the Monocle Travel Guides series, as well The Monocle Guide to Cosy Homes and How to Build a Nation.At the same time, Monocle has freestanding shops in London, Hong Kong, To-kyo, Toronto, Singapore and Merano while also selling its wares on e-commerce site, monocle.com. Monocle launched its first cafe in Tokyo in October 2011, a second cafe in London in April 2013, and a ‘coffee bar’ in the new Singapore shop and bureau in December 2014.Brûlé launched an audio service, Monocle 24, in October 2011. It brings listeners a 24-hour mix of fresh conversation, the best of culture, business and design – and is hosted by Brûlé and the Monocle editorial team from its London studios.In 2011, Brûlé was awarded Ad Age’s ‘Editor of the Year’ trophy, an unprec-edented award for an international editor. In 2012 Monocle was named ‘Best brand for living the good life’ in Ad Week’s annual ‘Hot List’.Brûlé is a regular speaker on topics ranging from media to urbanism to interna-tional affairs. He is a Canadian and British citizen.

Forum Speakers


Forum Speakers


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Jim Bilton – Managing Director, Wessenden Marketing and Brandlab Research

Jim Bilton is the Managing Director of Wessenden Marketing and Brandlab Research. Before setting up these two businesses, Jim worked in a variety of roles in the publishing, research and logistics industries, covering sales, market-ing, business planning, retail distribution & logistics, direct marketing, consum-er research and general management. He worked for the Professional Publish-ers Association, International Thomson, Comag United Newspapers, Magnum Distribution and AGB Research. WESSENDEN MARKETINGWessenden Marketing was established in 1992 and operates in four main areas;1. Market information: newsletters & reports tracking the media business2. Consultancy & project management3. Market research4. Seminars / workshops / training / facilitatingClients include major companies within the media, logistics, retailing, direct mar-keting and merchant banking sectors in the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia and USA.

BRANDLABBrandlab was established in 2000 and is a consumer research operation which concentrates on the “buying decision” and the motivations that lie behind the purchase.Clients include: Hello!, Condé Nast Publications, Dennis Publishing, Future Pub-lishing, Haymarket Magazines, Incisive Media, Menzies Distribution, Professional Publishers Association and Royal Mail

Dominic Miles – Partner at L.E.K Consulting

Dominic Miles is a Partner at L.E.K. Consulting, a global management consult-ing firm that uses deep industry expertise and rigorous analysis to help business leaders achieve practical results with real impact. The firm advises and supports global companies that are leaders in their industries — including the largest pri-vate- and public-sector organizations, private equity firms, and emerging entre-preneurial businesses. Dominic has more than 30 years of experience in strategy consulting and has worked across the firm’s network in Europe, North America and Australia.

He works principally in the consumer, retail and services sectors, in which he has undertaken numerous proposition development, route to market, format, operating model reconfiguration and transactional engagements. Dominic has published several thought leadership papers addressing topics such as the trans-formational impact of technology on the retail sector, the dramatic changes it will bring to consumer behaviour, and the challenges this will present to the economics of many retail business models.

Dominic started his career as a systems analyst in the U.S. He has an MA in Economics from Cambridge University and an MBA with distinction from INSEAD.


Social events

Welcome Reception

Date Sunday, 30 September 2018Place Villa Miani Time 19:00-23:00 Dress smart casual

Start your 2018 Congress at this stunning loca-tion next door to the Cavalieri Hotel. With stun-ning views across the city of Rome, enjoy an evening of networking and fun with friends and colleagues.Featuring live music, buffet stations, bars and photo wall.

With sponsorship contribution from

Welcome to Berlin 2019 drink

Date Wednesday, 3 October 2018Place Terrazza degli Aranci, on the top floor

of the Cavalieri HotelTime 18:30 - 20:30Dress code: casual

Bid ‘arrivederci’ to Rome 2018 and raise a glass to look forward to Berlin in 2019. The photo competi-tion winners will be announced during the evening

Event sponsored by

Business Conference (open to member companies only)

Every year publishers, press distributors, retailers and suppliers meet with their business partners at the Business Conference in bilateral meetings. For 62 years Distripress has been hosting this unique event for its members, making it possible to meet all their partners under one roof in the same week. The Distripress Business Conference is an indispensable institution of the national and international press trade. Delegates representing more than 60 territories are expected to attend.

The format of the Business Conference

Distribution companies and suppliers each have a table with a unique number allocated to them for the duration of the Congress. Publish-ing house representatives circulate around the tables according to their pre-planned meeting’s agenda. The meetings are usually 30 minutes in length and attendees average over 30 meetings each during the Congress. As time is limited, participants in the Business Conference plan their meetings up to six months in advance – it is therefore highly advisable to register and to start creating a meeting diary as soon as possible.

Business Conference

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Be it nationally or internationally: we make the world

of press distribution go around. Press distribution works

differently in each country – our team has excellent

knowledge in the global markets. For example, Messinter,

Italy’s largest importer of press products, is part of the

IPS Group. To find out more about what IPS can do for

your publishing business, visit www.ips-d.de

Best perspectives foryour printed products

Visit ourwebsite.

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

PRESS DISTRIBUTION MEANS THE WORLD TO US.

16 gazette 2018 DISTRIPRESS CIRCULATION MONITOR (DCM)

Distripress Circulation Monitor

Finding opportunity in disruption

Last year was a bad year for Distripress members. The theme of the 2017 DCM report was “Surviving the stress test” which captured the sense of holding on through a period of unprecedented pressure. The 2018 report shows some subtle, but very significant changes.

Taking a longer view

Let us put things into a longer-term perspective:n In 2014, the business was getting to grips with the

prospect of terminal decline.n In 2015, the mood had moved on from despair and

denial regarding what has happening to a grim de-termination to face up to all the challenges.

n In 2016, there was much more optimism evident, as companies were testing new business models and finding a way forward.

n In 2017, the pressures which had been building up over previous years exploded into the open. The result was a series of company closures, mergers, acquisitions and consolidation, together with some unexpected partnerships. Both business confidence and business performance among Distripress mem-bers was falling.

Now, in 2018, confidence is beginning to recov-er, and the underlying business indicators are look-ing a little more robust.

The three big themes

There are three big themes running through the 2018 survey: convergence, fragmentation and diver-sification.

Each year, the Distripress Circulation Monitor (DCM) provides a unique insight into the trends, opportunities and challenges facing international press sales around the world. This year shows a world where change is accelerating, but where this disruption is also opening up new opportuni-ties. Jim Bilton reports.

ConvergenceThis has four distinct dimensions, all of which are referenced in the DCM. Firstly, at a macro level, the consumer trends shaping media look very similar around the world. These include such developments as the growth of voice applications and the so-called “internet of things”; but more of these later.

Secondly, media companies themselves are crossing old boundaries as they engage with audi-ences across multiple platforms. This is manifesting itself in a flurry of M&A activity as well as the growth of interesting and unlikely partnerships.

Thirdly, at a more granular level, publisher & supply chain issues are becoming more similar from country to country. How to develop a more flexible retail network as consumer shopping habits change? How to grab the consumer’s attention in-store with more creative retail promotions? How to defend re-tail space against the expansion of other categories which are more buoyant or profitable than News & Magazines? How to drive down cost-to-serve as the volume of product going through the supply chain declines? How to simplify in-store handling process-es to make N&M a more attractive category for retail staff to handle? And does pay-on-scan have a con-structive part to play in all this? How to make a co-ordinated offer to the consumer across print & digi-tal platforms and across subscription & single copy channels? And how do Distripress members manage to take a slice of some of this cross-platform action?

Fourthly, all these issues are reflected in micro-convergence within companies themselves: break-ing down legacy departmental silos as platforms, channels and processes overlap increasingly. This

DISTRIPRESS CIRCULATION MONITOR (DCM) gazette 2018 17

is reflected by the growing theme of organisational change in the DCM itself.

FragmentationYet while the questions being asked are becoming increasingly similar around the world, the answers being found can be very different. To put it another way, the drivers of change are converging, but the outputs are fragmenting. This fragmentation pro-cess is operating in two ways.

Firstly, the sales trends of Newspapers and Magazines are showing an even wider range of per-formance, country by country, than in past DCMs: increasingly erratic and unpredictable.

Secondly, the business models of Distripress members all the way through the supply chain (pub-lishers, wholesalers & distributors, retailers and ser-vice companies) are becoming more varied and indi-vidual as companies test new ways of working and grow new revenue streams, which leads on to the third theme…diversification.

DiversificationThis has two dimensions: revenue and geographical diversification.

Firstly, as the core business of single-copy print sales slows or declines, new revenue streams are be-ing sought. n For Publishers, that means growing subscriptions

over single copies, building digital platforms next to print that complement rather than cannibalise, ecommerce and live events. It also means trying to accelerate the strategic shift from advertising rev-enues to content/circulation revenues.

n For Wholesalers & Distributors, it involves trying to take a bigger piece of the broader N&M distri-bution picture (e.g. getting involved in print sub-scriptions and digital editions, offering consumer marketing services to publishers, etc), taking on non-N&M product through their existing networks, or using their skills in parallel industries.

n For retailers generally, the big revenue develop-ment lies in growing an online dimension that sits next to their bricks-and-mortar presence, which is also changing in its size and profile at the same time. The other big area is to tweak the prod-uct mix and consumer offer, which is where N&M is coming under the spotlight at the moment as retailers flex the range and space devoted to the category.

Secondly, geographical diversification is also ac-celerating, which, in theory, plays to the strengths of Distripress members. A number of the major digital players, notably Amazon and Apple, are looking to grow outside their mature, core domestic markets to further-flung growth markets. The rationale is two-fold: (1) grow top line sales and (2) defend against the rapid growth of Asia Pacific-based companies.

The net result is a “test and tweak” environment, where every organisation is trying to do an increas-ing number of new things at the same time, without forgetting about nourishing what still works at the moment: trying to diversify, but not so fast as to destabilise the core business - a really difficult bal-ancing act to get right.

© Jorg Greuel

18 gazette 2018 DISTRIPRESS CIRCULATION MONITOR (DCM)

Tech trends sweeping the world

As has already been noted, the background to the current wave of disruption is a growing array of tech developments in three key areas: consumer, distribution and retail.

Consumer tech developmentsThe DCM report lists a number of key technologies which are shaping how consumers interact with me-dia content, with three standing out as of prime im-portance: n Voice Activated Assistants (VAAs) which have the

potential to blow apart search, brand advertising and how news and lifestyle information is discov-ered and consumed.

n The Internet of Things, from talking fridges to self-drive cars, all of which could carry publisher content.

n Artificial Intelligence is already being used to de-liver tailored content to individual consumers. Yet AI also has an impact in advertising placement, marketing communications and the streamlining of a whole range of internal processes.

Beneath these towering, unpredictable game-changers is a long list of more mundane digital ap-plications which publishers are currently grappling with. These range from websites with more flexible ways of allowing paid access to content through to video channels and on to more flexible and dynamic payments options for paid content.

Distribution techHere the big developments are: n �Robotics. This can stretch from automated pick

& pack in a warehouse through to using flying or ground-based drones to make the final delivery to the end consumer.

n Artificial intelligence is beginning to ripple through every link in the distribution process making supply chains more efficient and more tailored to the specific needs of individual cus-tomers, whether these are retailers or consumers. Driven by the smarter use of data, AI can manage

the supply chain, just-in time ordering, delivery route optimisation and range & order manage-ment in a much more sophisticated way and in real time.

Retail techRetailers are really getting to grips with all the tech-nologies seen in Consumer and Distribution, but with their own particular spin. Store staff who are digitally enabled with handheld devices through to robots who can answer questions and show where goods are stocked: in-store digital directories, or-dering systems and digital demonstrations; shopping apps which drive and aid the whole “shopping expe-rience” across all platforms. And so on.

Getting on with the “Day Job”

While Distripress members have to be aware of the “Big Picture” of what is happening now and what might become a reality in the future, there is still the “Day Job” of running the core business. This is where the DCM offers some important benchmarks in terms of headcount trends, the rate and focus of organisational change, publisher promotional budg-ets and profitability levels, the rate and nature of supply chain changes, etc.

Yet a key factor that lies behind the whole DCM project is an increasing desire to share experiences and case studies of success and failure in the drive to diversify.

What this year’s DCM project shows more clearly than ever before is that the membership of Distripress (45% of member companies took part this year) is polarised between two extremes: between those who see only terminal decline for their business and those who think that the current disruption is an opportu-nity to innovate or, at the very least, to grab market share from weaker competitors.

The encouraging conclusion of DCM 2018 is that there appear to be more proactive innovators than reactive decline-managers than ever before. They are looking for opportunity in disruption. n

Jim Bilton, Wessenden Marketing, London, UK

Jim Bilton is Managing Director of Wessenden Mar-keting and BrandLab Research, London. Wessenden Marketing is a specialist media consultancy firm which delivers consultancy & contract management, research, newsletters & reports and training & work-shops. BrandLab is a consumer research company set up to focus on the purchasing decision: how and why people buy.

Jim Bilton

The Distripress Training Foundation (DTF) has a new committee working on a re-launch plan for the Foundation. The objective is to create a training programme that best reflects today’s training and development needs.

The DTF committee is keen to engage members in the re-launch plan and will be seeking delegate input during the Rome Con-gress.

Please visit the DTF stand in the Expo lounge and share your thoughts and ideas to help shape the future of the DTF.

DISTRIPRESS TRAINING FOUNDATION gazette 2018 19

DTF CommitteePresident Stuart White, Waddell Ltd., UK

Vice President Duncan McIntosh, Gold Key Ltd., UK

Committee members Max Tarocco, SO.DI.P. S.p.a., Italy

Dietmar Baumhof, Newspaper Impact GmbH, Germany

Koen Maes, Mediahuis, Belgium

Tracy Jones, Distripress

twi GmbHIndustriestr. 676189 KarlsruheGermany

T +49 (0)7 21 9 50 77-0F +49 (0)7 21 57 48 [email protected]

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20 gazette 2018 DISTRIBUTION WORLD – Italy

Breaking News from Italy

© Pixabay

DISTRIBUTION WORLD – Italy gazette 2018 21

Rome, Campo dei Fiori, 8:00 am, a man walks into a bar, orders a coffee and glances over a newspaper he just bought at the kiosk on the square. A scene that most visitors of Rome or any other Italian city or village will recognize. Italians buy their newspaper at a kiosk and take their time to read the latest news about their favourite football club or local politics while drinking a cappuccino or caffè.

Well, that is how it used to be in the old days. Today it is be-coming more of a rarity as it seems that Italians are abandoning something that we all believed was part of their DNA.

A country with three daily sports newspapers and iconic news-papers like the Corriere della Sera or La Repubblica is abandoning a habit that was always synonymous to the Italian way of life. It doesn’t seem that long ago that Federico Fellini gave the world La Dolce Vita, but here we are today in a new reality where newspa-pers play a diminishing role in daily Italian life.

Enough with nostalgia, let us have a look at the facts that came to light in a study done by Mediobanca in December 2017.

Comparing 2017 with 2012 overall print circulation in Europe dropped by 20.5%, Italian newspaper circulation dropped by 37%. The rest of the world (mainly in Asia and specifically in India) print circulation even shows an increase in the same period. When we look at the development of Italian newspapers in the period 2006 to 2016 the drop is for sure disastrous with -52%!! The study shows that out of a population of 60 million only 30% read a newspaper and even that number has dropped by 27% in the last 10 years.

The total Italian newspaper circulation represents 0.3% of the total global newspaper circulation and is slightly lower than the top two German dailies combined and slightly higher than the top two English dailies combined. Prices of national Italian newspapers are lower than in most other European countries.

In 2007 daily newspaper circulation in Italy was at 5.4 million copies a day, in 2017 this number dropped to 2.6 million copies per day. Also interesting is that the national newspapers show a higher decrease than local or regional newspapers. As a result, the printing industry is in a similar decline with print sites dropping from 92 to 63 in five years. A process that will further accelerate in the coming years.

Like in many other European countries, we see a process of trade consolidation taking place. The number of wholesalers is de-creasing continuously, but rather than in for example Germany where mergers and acquisitions dictate the process, in Italy whole-salers go out of business or stop from one day to the next, posing a huge challenge for publishers and national distributors to be ahead of the game and to secure their business and income. The con-sequence of this consolidation is larger regional wholesalers that have to cover a much wider area with more retailers and more com-plicated logistics and distribution networks, certainly a challenge


for both distributors and publishers. If we go down one step in the supply chain we see an ongoing de-crease in the number of retailers. While in 2011 there were about 33,000 outlets in all of Italy, today that number is around 26,000 and dropping almost daily.

A retailer in Italy in the sixties or seventies sold newspapers and magazines, today they sell mostly gadgets and souvenirs. Walk the streets of Rome and see what is on sale in the traditional kiosks, you will be surprised of the variety of goods rather than press.

Is it all doom and gloom? Well, the Italian gov-ernment is taking action to promote and support the press industry by offering tax benefits to companies and individuals when placing advertising in newspa-pers and magazines.

At the same time, the government introduced a kind of cultural incentive program for kids up to 18 years old, offering a bonus of up to 500 Euros when they buy books or press products, both in print and digital format, theatre or museum tickets. It remains to be seen if this is going to change reading habits and get more young people to occasionally buy a newspaper or magazine.

Just over 350 years ago, the first Italian news-paper printed was the The Gazzetta di Mantova in 1664, a long and rich history of regional and na-tional newspapers followed. Today we see a diverse Italian print media landscape that is struggling to survive, but I believe is resilient enough to stand the test of time, all be it in a much different composi-tion, format and with less focus on news and more on high quality content, research and background reporting. Many newspapers will disappear in their current format and only some will master the art of transition to celebrate 400 years of newspapers in Italy. n

Luciano StulinCEO/Messinter S.p.A, Head of International/IPS Group

Gross Income/ p.capita (Euros)

26.338

Rate of inflation 2017

1,23%

Most Important Publishing HousesGruppo Mondadori www.mondadori.itRCS Mediagroup www.rcsmediagroup.it

FACTS ABOuT ITALY

Dailies: The Top 5

Title Publisher Homepage Daily circulation 2017 Price

Paperversion Digitalversion

Corriere della Sera RCS Mediagroup www.corriere.it 269.900 75.407 1,50 €

la repubbliCa GEDI Gruppo Editoriale

www.repubblica.it 233.081 41.291 1,50 €

la Gazzetta dello Sport

RCS Mediagroup www.gazzetta.it 181.639 11.429 1,50 €

la Stampa GEDI Gruppo Editoriale

www.lastampa.it 161.349 27.379 1,50 €

il Sole 24 ore Il sole 24 Ore Spa www.ilsole24ore.com 130.820 85.814 1,50 €

Title Publisher Homepage Segment Frequency Circulation 2017

Price

al Volante Editrice universo www.alvolante.it auto/Motor monatlich 270.887 1,50 €

FoCuS Mondadori Scienza www.focus.it Wissenschaft/Natur

monatlich 211.942 3,90 €

CoSe di CaSa World Servizi Editoriale

www.cosedicasa.com Haus/Hobby monatlich 201.323 2,00 €

Quattroruote Editoriale Domus www.quattroruote.it auto/Motor monatlich 186.382 5,00 €

Vanity Fair Condé Nast www.vanityfair.it Frauen/ unterhaltung

monatlich 165.910 2,40 €

Magazines: The Top 5

Italy is famous for its daily sports newspapers, among other things of course. Aside from this, the press land-scape in Italy is highly concentrated, with the titles that enjoy the highest circulation figures controlled by just a few publishers.

Although the Italian newspaper market does have a handful of distinctive features, it has still been gripped by the latest major trends. Sales figures for printed newspapers are in decline, which is why the publishers are increasingly focusing on digital pay-ment models. The key difference here is that the sales declines in Italy seem to be even more dra-matic. In March 2018, nearly two million print and digital copies per edition were sold across the market as a whole – a fall of 8% year on year.

A characteristic of the Italian newspaper mar-ket is that a number of publications that boast the strongest circulation figures are concentrated at only a handful of publishing houses. In this regard, the 12 most popular publications are all fully or part-owned by just six media companies, namely RCS MediaGroup, GEDI Gruppo Editoriale, SportNetwork, Caltagirone Editore, Monrif Group and the Confin-dustria employer association.

GEDI Gruppo Editoriale and RCS MediaGroup are primarily the market leaders. According to data published by the industry watchdog Agcom, GE-DI’s market share was 20.5% in March 2018. RCS MediaGroup controlled a further 20.1%, with the third-strongest media enterprise in the newspaper industry, Sport Network (part of the Amodei Group), boasting a market share of 8.6%. The three largest newspaper publishers therefore control nearly half of the overall market in Italy.

GEDI, the largest company operating in the newspaper industry today, was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Rome. The publishing house is listed on the Milan stock exchange and recorded an-nual sales of EUR 633.7m in financial year 2017. The company owns both large nationals such as

La Repubblica and La Stampa and a wide array of regional newspapers including Il Tirreno (Tuscany), Messaggero Veneto (Friuli-Venezia Giulia) and Il Piccolo (Trieste). Aside from these, GEDI also pub-lishes magazines. Of particular note is L’ Espresso, which was the first publication launched by GEDI in its founding year. Over many decades and following several takeovers, mergers and newly introduced of-ferings, the publishing house developed into one of the largest media enterprises in Italy.

La Repubblica is GEDI’s flagship title. It boasts an average readership of nearly two million people per edition (print and digital). Distributed circula-tion stands at an average of 233,000 copies, accord-ing to the publishing house’s data. GEDI originally launched the daily newspaper in 1976 in coopera-tion with the Italian book publishing group Arnoldo Mondadori Editore.

RCS MediaGroup is the second-largest player on the Italian newspaper market. It owns the country’s two publications with the highest circulation figures in the form of La Gazetta dello Sport and Corriere della Sera. According to data published by Audipress, Corriere della Sera has slightly over two million readers per edition, just ahead of La Repubblica. La Gazetta dello Sport is by far and away Italy’s most popular newspaper, boasting more than 3.2 million readers per edition.

RCS MediaGroup as a whole recorded sales of around EUR 896m in total. This figure also includes foreign-based activities (in Spain, among others) as well as magazines, books, TV and radio, advertising and B2B and sport and events, all in addition to the core newspaper business. The company was founded at the beginning of the 20th century by Angelo Riz-

Inside Italy’s Newspaper Market


zoli and was initially active in the areas of magazines and books. Acquisitions saw the group steadily ex-pand into additional areas of business, for example into the newspaper industry. In 1974, Rizzoli bought the Editoriale Corriere della Sera S.a.s. publishing house, whose eponymous newspaper is today the second-most popular in Italy. Then, in 1977, the sport daily La Gazzetta dello Sport was added to RCS MediaGroup’s selection of titles following the takeo-ver of Nuove Edizioni Sportive.

Italy gripped by sporting fever – in print as well!

Italy’s sports dailies are a phenomenon in their own right. Hardly any other country has such a var-ied press landscape in this segment. In addition to Gazzetta dello Sport, there are two further sport ti-tles among the top ten newspapers with the high-est readership figures per edition. Both are pub-lished by SportNetwork. First we have Corriere Dello Sport – Stadio, which was founded in 1924 and is today published nationally, with nine different lo-cal editions focusing on the interests of readers in the various regions of Italy. Furthermore, a whole

brand world has been established around Corriere Dello Sport – Stadio, with website, app, web TV and e-commerce offerings including merchandise all playing a role here. The average circulation figures, according to the publishing house’s data, stand at around 107,000 copies (Monday edition) and 95,000 copies (rest of the week).

Tuttosport is much smaller, with circulation fig-ures of 67,900 and 62,000 respectively. Found in 1945, this sports daily is also published nationally, with three regional editions as well.

Finally, Il Sole 24 Ore is noteworthy as a distinc-tive feature of the Italian newspaper market. The daily business newspaper is among the top ten high-est circulated titles in Italy, having been formed in 1965 from the merger of the two dailies, Il Sole and 24 Ore. The newspaper is published by Gruppo 24 Ore. However, what is special about this publication is that the group’s majority shareholder is the Italian employer association, Confindustria. According to its own data, the association’s members include more than 150,000 companies, which employ more than 5.4 million people. n

Wolfgang Rakel, Distripress Gazette, Hamburg

DISTRIBUTION WORLD– Italy gazette 2018 25

Readership of Italian newspapers per Issue (x1.000)

Source: Audipress, own calculation © Presse Fachverlag 2018

Newspaper Publisher Category ReadersChange to Previous Year

La Gazetta dello Sport RCS Rizzoli Corriere della Sera Sports Newspaper 3.207 0,91%

Corriere Della Sera RCS Rizzoli Corriere della Sera Daily Newspaper 2.065 -3,32%

La Repubblica GEDI Gruppo Editoriale Daily Newspaper 1.973 -5,82%

Corriere Dello Sport - Stadio SportNetwork Sports Newspaper 1.474 6,58%

Il Messaggero Caltagirone Editore Regional Newspaper 1.063 2,11%

La Stampa GEDI Gruppo Editoriale Daily Newspaper 1.061 -7,17%

Qn Il Resto Del Carlino Monrif Group Daily Newspaper 1.052 5,62%

Tuttosport SportNetwork Sports Newspaper 768 0,52%

Il Sole 24 Ore Confindustrie Economy Newspaper 732 -8,73%

Qn La Nazione Monrif Group Regional Newspaper 720 1,12%

The table shows how many readers selected Italian newspapers reach per issue. Print and digital editions were included


When it comes to periodical and daily press distribu-tion, Sodip is a perfect partner for publishers.

Today, the company is operated based on the management and the strategic decisions made by the later generations of the Patuzzi Family, who had already been operating in the sector since the 1920s at “Agenzia Lombarda Distribuzione Giornali e Riviste”. From the establishment of the company 55 years ago, Sodip has always played a significant role in the press distribution world in Italy. The busi-ness continuously keeps up with the trends and in-novations, operating in the distribution sector with forward-thinking, strategic decision making.

Sodip is the first independent national distribu-tor both for market share and service excellence. It is the Distributor selected by the most important and prestigious Publishing Groups in Italy and it supplies the largest number of weekly titles and the most important monthly publications, all of them high-sellers. Sodip’s strength in the market is demonstrat-ed by the importance and prestige of the Publish-ers who rely on us to distribute their titles. Many of them are market leaders in their category in terms of copies sold and brand loyalty.

The success of Sodip is inextricably linked to the quality of its people, which mirrors the quality of our services. Integrity and accuracy in the management of our commercial relations are founding principles of our work.

The press market evolution we are experienc-ing has on the one hand, demanded a high spe-cialization in the activities strictly linked to our core business. On the other hand, it has imposed a need to focus attention on the non-traditional channels, with the aim of seizing every sales opportunity whilst maintaining core processes.

With this approach Sodip became a structure capable of controlling, both directly and indirectly, through partner companies, the following areas:n Development and opportunity – GDMediaService

and Import/Exportn Distribution and circulation quality and business

solidity – Agenzia Romana and MDMn Processes and quantitative control – Sodip Service

The most important independent publishers choose Sodip for its ability to adapt, for the quality of the services offered, for its reliability and robust-ness. Sodip stands by its publishers to identify and optimise all opportunities and to provide a market-ing and diffusion service which, in synergy with the Publisher, assists sales growth. To understand more about our approach, it is necessary to describe the company structure.

Sodip boasts a team of highly specialised peo-ple, with a deep knowledge of the publications, the market and of the tools available to manage each publication. The account team is the first contact point for the publisher. They work together to review title sales and market data, agree promotional activ-ity and set draw levels.

Publishers can review the distribution and sales data of their publications via the Sodip website. This makes communication more efficient, but does not replace the need for their direct, constant and pro-ductive contact with their account manager.

The Distribution office is the heart of Sodip’s operation - it’s where the numbers, ideas and infor-mation are generated. The core areas are;

Account management - For every publication a distribution plan is developed, analysing the most recent statistics and data and considering the trends of both the publication and the referring market.

SO.DI.P. S.p.A.

The first big Independent National Distributor

DISTRIBUTION WORLD – Italy gazette 2018 27

Close attention is paid to seasonal variations – it is known that the seasonality in some geographical ar-eas, or festivities, considerably change the territorial coverage – and to the specific features of the publi-cation, such as launch price or cut price, gadget and supporting promotional campaign.

IT Structure – our sophisticated IT platform was designed, and is constantly developed, by Sodip. It serves as an essential support to the account man-agement team.

Data team – this team supports the distribution and the account management staff and publishers. They gather sales data by region and collate it to facilitate deeper analysis, down to sales channels or points of sale. Sodip gathers and processes thou-sands of lines of data which feed its ‘observatory’ on the press market in Italy. All data is searchable on-line by the publisher via the Sodip website. This huge data warehouse allows for detailed studies on sales trends of market segments and sales channels. This intelligence is used to support our clients in their decision making, such as investment in advertising and/or promotional activity.

In addition, Sodip can provide publishers with support and the documentation to obtain the sales certification (e.g. ADS/ABC). Inforete, a consortium of which Sodip is founder and member, is the plat-form of data transmission/reception in the Italian wholesaler network. It permits the prompt transfer of information and data.

International division – this highly skilled and experienced team manages the export and import of titles. The export division manages the commercial trading with local distributors globally. This division was previously SIES srl. In 2011 it was incorporated in to Sodip as a stand-alone division. Today, Sodip is the national leader for market share in the export of Italian titles. Sodip manages export for all its pub-lishers as well as being the exclusive export distribu-tor of the RCS MediaGroup portfolio of well-known and highly regarded Italian magazines and specialist publications.

Recently, Sodip has focused on the development of “Local language editions’ of key Italian brands. Italian publications are often, in their publishing con-tent and format, suited to international markets but, are limited because they are published in the Italian language only. Publishers are actively encouraged to produce publications dedicated to foreign markets using the language of the destination country. This allows the publishers to showcase their quality publi-cations in export markets via their distribution part-ner, Sodip. Thereby reaching a readership which was precluded due to the language barrier. The German market (plus Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg) are active, and in the future, local language editions in Polish, Spanish and English will be launched.

Sodip Headquarters in Cinisello balsamo (Milan)

© So

dip


srl, the distributor for the city of Milan. In 2016, to consolidate its presence in the territory, Sodip cre-ated l’Agenzia Romana srl, a local distributor for the city of Rome. Today, as well as Sodip titles it handles numerous publishing portfolios, having established a high standard of solid distribution and efficiency, supported by good technological organization.

Together, Milan and Rome represent approxi-mately ten per cent of the national market.

Right Time, Right Place

Getting the products to store on time is a key element of what we do. Our logistics structure has to be flexible and fast to meet the needs of the market. Sodip has adopted a fast-logistic solution, operating seven days per week. This ensures that we can man-age all title frequencies and shipping times to the optimum. This includes the shipping of periodicals, subject to volume level, direct to Milan and Rome to optimise schedules and costs.

Sodip adopted its own returns management structure via a “traditional” physical copy return pro-cess. This allows us the flexibility to save requested returns and undertake covermount retrieval. Plus, other services can be coordinated, on request. Us-ing our automated recognition reading and the high sophistication of our information systems, Sodip has developed its own protocol for the management of certified returned copies.

Promotions

Sodip is able to offer its publishers a very broad mix of promotions. The display of posters at the point of sale is the most traditional and popular form of promotion. This service can be activated in every city of Italy with a high degree of targeting and timeli-ness which is unparalleled. It offers multiple pos-sibilities, from the basic posters and billboards, to the setting up of the store display for special events.

Good displays at airports remain a key require-ment of many of our clients who seek to secure com-petitive advantage in terms of sales and advertising objectives. Sodip long ago recognized the enormous sales potential of the airport environment with 6m passengers per month travelling through the Milan-ese airports and Rome Fiumicino. We have offered a be-spoke service to publishers for many years which ensures optimum display, multiple facings and the execution of promotions in store, as required.

Sodip is proud of its long-standing, high quality service to the Italian press market. We look forward to the next 55 years working closely with existing and new publisher clients. n

Piero Danioni, President SO.DI.P, Cinisello Balsamo (Milan).

In addition, all types of Italian books are sup-plied to book shops, schools, universities and librar-ies via Sodip, with the help of sales representatives in Europe, America and Asia. Our experienced staff provide a tailor-made service to the customers and help big or small publishers in the promotion and distribution of their books abroad.

The international division of Sodip handles the import of titles to Italy, mainly from the close Euro-pean markets – Germany, UK and France and from the USA. The team distributes more than 3,000 titles, with a selection that includes the most important international newspapers, weeklies, monthlies and niche titles. One of the strengths of the Sodip or-ganisation is the complete integration of the import service with the structures dedicated to the domestic market: this means, for example, usage of Inforete for the gathering of data through the sales network; the usage of the ISPC system; access to special pro-motion channels all, reinforced by Sodip staff dedi-cated to the foreign press.

The innovative and unique cooperation which started in July 2017 with Intercontinental proceeds at full capacity. This cooperation is focused on the distribution in the Italian market of all the titles in the portfolio which intercontinental represented, widening the scope to include new areas and new points of sale under the expertise and guidance of the Sodip organization. The full range of periodicals from France, UK and USA are included as is the Fi-nancial Times, The Times and The Sunday Times, plus, an excellent range of periodicals featuring key fash-ion and interior design publications.

Furthermore, particular attention continues to be given to all niche publications: for Milan, Rome and Bologna areas, a specialty distribution service offer is provided to non- traditional outlets, for ex-ample show rooms, fashion outlets and multi brand stores etc.

Market Reach

Sodip prides itself on its ability as a national dis-tributor to deliver our publisher clients’ distribution and sales objectives. This is why we have chosen to maintain our activity as broadly as possible across the country. It is only via regular direct contact with the local operator that we can guarantee an appro-priate level of control on the distribution quality of the local distributor. This is necessary to protect and monitor the strategic points of sale and the promo-tional activities locally executed, as well as the regu-lar fulfillment of administrative duties.

In 2010 a change took place for the city of Mi-lan: Agenzia Lombarda srl, which was for a long time a Distributor of Sodip and an investee com-pany, joined with Milano Press srl, creating MDM

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AZ_SPGR_Distripress_2018_210x297.indd 1 17.08.18 13:35


For the first time in 60 years, the Italian national football failed to qualify for the World Cup. A bitter disappointment for fans of the four-time winners. However, there was some consolation from the fact that even though the Azzuri won’t be travelling to this year’s World Cup in Russia, Panini football stick-ers will at least still be available.

A World Cup without Panini stickers and al-bums is practically unimaginable. This is not just because of the global popularity of the sport, but also because they connect with the primal human instinct of hunting, gathering, trading and swap-

Panini

From newspaper kiosk to sticker empire

The Panini brothers entered into the press business with a kiosk in Modena. Alongside press products, they sold off any remaining football collector cards in lucky dip goodie bags and discovered that football stickers in small packs could be a highly lucrative business.

ping. Indeed, for the 2018 World Cup, the Modena headquarters alone were printing up to eight million stickers a day for sale in 130 countries. According to the publishers, the highest demand came from Brazil, although the company was unwilling to give concrete figures.

Every year, Panini issues around 400 collector editions worldwide, including sets for the European Championships and the World Cup, which account for the lion’s share of the company’s sales. In 2016, the total sales recorded by the company amounted to around EUR 630 million.

The Panini brothers made history with collectible stickers in lucky dip goodie bags: Giuseppe, umberto, Franco Cosimo and benito (l to r, 1966)©

Pani

ni

DISTRIBUTION_WORLD – Italy gazette 2018 31

Today, the Panini Group is the biggest publisher of collectible stickers in the world, employing 1,200 staff in twelve proprietary subsidiaries located out-side Italy, including the Panini Verlag in Germany. This has not always been the case: Panini was started as a family business in 1945 in Modena, northern Italy. After the war, Veronica Panini, one of eight Panini siblings, bought a newspaper kiosk near the cathedral in Modena, with the intention of running it with her brothers Giuseppe, Benito, Umberto and Franco Cosimo.

Panini discovers the goodie bag

By 1954, the newspaper kiosk had transformed into a newspaper distribution organisation named “Agenzia Distri-buzione Giornali Fratelli Panini”. The company’s first experience with collectible products came in the year when the siblings began to sell individual collectible images from other publishers together with fumetti, magazines and thrillers all in one package, or a goodie bag as it came to be known. However, it took until 1960 for the Panini sticker collections to see the light of day. After sever-al attempts to sell flower stickers had proven unsuc-cessful, the brothers picked up a job lot of football collector cards on a trip to Milan. Back in Modena, they put two cards into a small bag and sold it for 10 lira and, before they knew it, they had sold three million of them!

Giuseppe Panini took this success as the opportu-nity to sell his own stickers. The foundation stone of the Panini Group was laid in 1961 when Panini first brought out their own football sticker collection. The collection focused on footballers playing in the Ital-ian league. The very first sticker was a photo of Bruno Bolchi, the midfielder who played for Internazionale.

The pioneering idea of the Panini brothers was to produce their own little bags of collectible stick-ers. They were therefore the first company to come up with the idea of collecting stickers and keeping them in an album. Before that, collectible picture cards had only been used as advertising add-ons, for example with bars of chocolate.

Milestones across more than 50 years of history

1961 Panini founded in Modena, Italy

1961 First Panini sticker collection – “Grande Raccolta Figurine Calciatori“, a football sticker album featuring players from the Italian Serie A, including Giovanni Trapattoni

1964 First non-sport sticker collections published in Italy: “Bandiere di tutto il mondo“ (Flags of the World) and “Aerei e missili“ (Aircraft and Rockets)

1970 First international sticker collection by Panini appears for the World Cup

1972 The album for the 1972/73 Italian Serie A season is the first to feature completely self-adhesive stickers

1980 Panini publishes first ever European Championship sticker collection

1984 First Panini album for the European Championships to also be sold in Germany

1988 Panini sold to the Maxwell Group

1992 Italian investors Bain Gallo Cuneo and De Agostini acquire the Panini Group

1994 The Panini Group is sold to Marvel

1997 Panini starts to publish comics

1999 Vittorio Merloni and the senior management of Panini buy the Panini Group

2001 DC licence obtained

2006 Sticker collection for the World Cup appears with record sales worldwide and in Germany

2015 First globally available sticker collection for a Women’s World Cup

Panini celebrates its 13th consecutive World Cup appearance with fans: the first album appeared in 1970 for the Mexico World Cup,

and the most recent one for the World Cup in Russia

© Panini

32 gazette 2018 DISTRIBUTION WORLD - Italy

To prevent any duplication of stickers in the same bag, in the early years, pictures were shuffled in a barrel with a crank handle or thrown against a wall and then mixed with a spade. But for mass produc-tion, a professional solution had to be found, and Umberto Panini did just this: he invented the Fifi-matic, a mixing machine which ensures that a sticker card is never put into the same bag twice.

Unfortunately, none of the original four brothers who helped to make the Panini Group what it is to-day remains alive. The last remaining survivor of the founder generation, Umberto Panini, died in Decem-ber 2013. By then, Panini had ceased to be a family business for some time. It was first acquired by the Maxwell Group in 1988 and in 1992, Gallo Cuneo and De Agostini bought the company after several years of financial uncertainty. Within two years, they had returned Panini back to its former glory. When the Marvel Entertainment Group took over in 1994, it kept the management and the location unchanged in Italy and founded in the form of Marvel Italia a comic publishing house, which was integrated into the Panini Group. Since 2001, Marvel Italia has been operating under the name Panini Comics. Finally, in autumn 1999, Panini was bought by Vittorio Mer-loni Fineldo SpA, an Italian company which manu-factures a variety of consumer goods and operates in the financial sector, and the senior management of Panini.

After the collector albums and the accompany-ing stickers, the comics and publishing segments are Panini’s second most important business division. These days, comics, superheroes and manga series such as Batman, Hulk, Spiderman, Wolverine and X-Men products from a variety of labels are distributed

under licence. The division also distributes novels, books for children and young adults, calendars and action figures. In total, Panini publishes in excess of 4,000 comics, magazines and books in Europe and Brazil every year.

Football stickers in print and digital form

Moreover, the Group is active in five other areas, including publishing, sales, licence rights trading, Panini Digital and new media. The Group also holds a stake in DigitalSoccer, a company developing soft-ware for the sports’ industry, and World Foot Center, a French company active in merchandising, distribu-tion and football promotion.

In addition to collectible products, a growing number of digital offerings have been added to the Panini portfolio. According to the company’s own information, the FIFA World CupTM Trading App has been downloaded more than two million times since its launch in March 2018 in Europe, North America and South America, putting it among the top ten free sports apps currently available in the world.

The group has recently formed a strategic part-nership with Tencent for the purposes of launch-ing the app for the 2018 World Cup on the Chinese market. Tencent Sport is not only the sole operator of the app developed by Panini, but is also respon-sible for sponsorships and marketing. Moreover, the Panini Group and Tencent Sports have agreed to co-operate beyond the World Cup in order to offer other products to Chinese sports’ fans on Tencent sport platforms. n

Aynur Kaya, Distripress Gazette, Hamburg

Internazionale midfielder bruno bolchi immortalised on the first ever Panini sticker

Panini Headquarters in Modena© Pa

nini

© Pa

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CONTACT:

Ulf Blumenthal Phone: + 49 (0) 7623 964 - 266Email: [email protected]

www.bpv-medien.com

BPV is operating in distribution and sales of magazines in 14 languages in about 80 countries and in placing magazine licenses worldwide for more than 40 years.

As a distribution service provider, it is one of our strengths to professionally support and promote national and inter-national market launches of new products or magazines and additionally to expand established brands into new inter-national markets. BPV offers comprehensive market research and client-orientated services such as marketing strategies, logistics, production and license marketing. Due to our long and in-depth experiences in professional sales and marketing we can increase your sales efforts and sales effi ciency.

You publish journals or magazines; we know the path to your readership – throughout the world.


Messinter’s main activity focuses on the distribution of international magazines, newspapers and books. The company’s market share of international press is around 80 per cent while of international books around 90 per cent. To a smaller extent, Messinter also distributes Ital-ian publications that match the high quality part of its portfolio (fashion or lifestyle for example). At this point, Messinter does not get involved in the export business, any export requirements that arise will be managed by the IPS export division, currently responsible for most of Germany’s press exports worldwide.

Looking at the development of the three sectors (magazines, books and newspapers) we have seen steady growth on the magazines side, as more and more pub-lishers put their trust in Messinter to deliver good sales results, excellent market coverage and transparent re-porting and analysis. The Italian market used to offer very little transparency providing limited information to foreign publishers. Since the acquisition of Messinter by IPS, the company provides international publishers with detailed information down to retailer level if required and fast reporting to give publishers the tools to act on market developments as and when these happen.

Messinter’s book business is doing very well and is showing significant growth following a strategic partner-ship with Messaggerie Libri. This outsourcing of logistical and admin activities to MeLi resulted in better market coverage, access to over 4,000 bookstores across all of Italy and a network of field agents to optimize our of-fer. We are currently working with MeLi to open up more bookstores to magazines which will create another USP as the only international distributor with access to this exclusive network.

Messinter

Italian Passion Combined with German Efficiency

Messinter, member of the IPS Group, is Italy’s market leader for the import of international press and books; the main activity of the company focuses on the distribution of international magazines, newspapers and books.

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Press kiosk in Venice – Castello Fanutti

Don’t forget to download the

ROME 2018 Congress APP

for all your event information.

Newspaper sales are under pressure as in most other European markets. The removal of telephone roaming costs across Europe in June 2017 made it easy and cheap to read newspapers on a telephone or tablet and had an immediate negative effect on sales of newspapers at retail.

Italy remains a retail market, buying a newspa-per or magazine at a kiosk and reading it over a caffè or cappuccino is part of the Italian DNA, while at the same time a subscription copy delivered by the Italian postal system was considered adventurous or at least required a lot of patience. So Messinter con-tinues to promote press at retail in order to catch as many readers as possible, creating exclusive and ded-icated promotion networks across the country and coming up with out of the box promotional ideas that catch the reader’s attention. Together with a pro-active marketing team from IPS Germany, the Messinter marketing department always manages to

come up with new and creative formulas that find good acceptance from the trade partners and pub-lishing clients.

ITaLY – kEY TOuRIST MaRkET

The number of retailers in Italy is shrinking year by year from 40,000 outlets ten years ago to only 26,000 today. This requires us to find new selling points that go beyond the traditional Edicola. Cur-rently twelve per cent of the outlets served by Mess-inter are non-traditional outlets like bookstores, ho-tels, libraries, specialized stores for music, fashion, crafts and computers. As the decrease of regular sell-ing points continues, we will increase our efforts to open more non-traditional points of sale.

Italy is a key tourist market, in 2017 we saw over 90 million tourists visiting Italy, an increase of ten per cent over 2015. Unfortunately, there is no more correlation between increasing tourist numbers and the sale of press. In the past, more tourists auto-matically meant more newspapers sold; today this link no longer exists. One of Messinter’s strengths is the know-how and experience in tracking tourist streams across the nation and making the right titles available in the right place. German, French or Eng-lish tourists do not always have the same preferences in which parts of Italy to visit and when. We are able to put a dedicated and tailor-made distribution plan together that maximizes coverage and efficiency per nationality and category.

A Spiegel reader on holiday in Italy should not have any problems in finding the magazine, but if they do, we are always able to navigate him or her to the nearest kiosk. Messinter is the only international distributor that covers all of Italy and works with wholesalers in all regions of the country, so that the titles we represent are able to reach readers no mat-ter where they stay.

We look forward to the Distripress congress in Rome, a home game for us and a chance to show our editors how we manage their distribution in the capital of Italy. We will have a record number of meetings with current and new publishing cli-ents and expect constructive and creative exchanges, while enjoying the beauty of Rome in the few spare moments we have. n

Luciano Stulin, CEO/Messinter S.p.A, Head of International/IPS Group

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Venice – San Marco (come l‘ho_trovato e lasciato)


Quality Journalism world-wide.

Quality journalism is in world-wide demand.

Therefore, smart minds in more than 100 countries

on all continents prefer reading Frankfurter

Allgemeine Zeitung every day. Reliability is and

remains one of the most important basis on the

globalized market of information.

210_297_4C_AZ_Z_Weltweit_2015_GB.indd 1 11.07.18 15:58

38 gazette 2018 DISTRIBUTION WORLD

Digital Subscriptions – The Future of Publishing

Online subscriptions are a blessing for publishers at a time of declining print sales and advertising revenue. For some pub-lications, they already have become the major source of income. However, as we now know, the phenomenon is also evident in many other sectors and reflects the rise of what is called “the subscription economy” around the world.

The number of online subscriptions has progressed to be-come one of the key indicators of success in the publish-ing industry. Glad tidings from newspaper and magazine publishers frequently proclaim that their online subscrip-tions have broken through one or another milestone. Vir-tually every publisher has an interest in paid-for-content models, as the concept of a customer relationship sus-tained over the longer term that was once so successful in print can now be translated into the online universe.

For some time now, the focus has shifted away from simply regularly receiving digital versions of newspapers or magazines: a monthly subscription fee gives users access to an entire product world, which not only in-cludes the e-paper, but also paid-for online items, ex-clusive newsletters and events. The idea is that customer relationships no longer rely purely on a good product. Readers taking out a subscription – which incidentally counts as the best sign of confidence in a media brand – should not only become part of a community, but should feel that they are. In this respect, publishers are offering something that has far more value than simply using a product: access to a group of like-minded individuals and a platform for regularly meeting up with all those who would only rarely (if at all) be able to meet and ex-change ideas on their areas of interest.

Consumers are prepared to pay

Demand is being increasingly matched by what is on offer. Digitisation has long since moved on from simply changing the way in which publishers work and what they offer. Today, it is also impacting consumer behav-iour. The management consultancy firm Deloitte predicts that by the end of 2018 around 50 per cent of adults in industrialised nations will have taken out at least two

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DISTRIBUTION WORLD gazette 2018 39

purely online subscriptions for media products. By the end of 2020, the figure is even anticipated to rise to four subscriptions per person. The Reuters Insti-tute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford Univer-sity has also observed growing interest in long-term online relationships. The current issue of the Digital News Report comments: “Across countries, further likelihood to pay has also increased among those who are not already paying. Almost one in five (17 %) of those who were not already paying said they are likely to do so in the next twelve months – up two percentage points on a year ago.”

Scandinavia has so far had the greatest suc-cess in terms of getting consumers into the habit of paying for online content. The Digital News Report shows that in Norway, 30% of the population pay for online news, while in Sweden the figure is 26%, with values of 18% and 15% in Finland and Den-mark respectively. This means that all four countries are among the top ten with the highest share of con-sumers paying for news content. Australia and Hong Kong (20% each) along with Taiwan (18%) are also among the leaders. With a share of 16% online paid for news content, the USA is just about keeping up, while Germany (8%) and the UK (7%) are way down on the list.

best Practice: New York timeS

However, a glance at the online subscribers for individual titles provides a different picture. There, the leading lights are not in the Scandinavian coun-tries, but in the USA (New York Times, washiNgToN PosT, The wall sTreeT JourNal) and the UK (FiNaNcial Times). The New York Times (NYT) is the gold standard: as early as Q4 2017, the NYT already had 2.6 million registered online subscribers. And the growth rates here are considerable too. Referring back to Q4 2017 again, NYT gained 157,000 new online subscribers. This figure is already more than many other titles can boast in total. It is interesting to note how the NYT is continuing to differentiate between its online paid-for content, so that consumers can choose between purely news content and a separate subscription for puzzles such as crosswords and brain teasers.

At first sight, the latter seems rather frivolous, perhaps a congenial gesture for the few hard core

crossword fans among readers of the paper. However, a report from June 2018 tells a very different story: at the beginning of June, NYT announced that it had broken through the benchmark of 400,000 sub-scribers for their online puzzles offering. These sub-scribers pay USD 2.50 per month, or USD 14.75 per year for unlimited access to the NYT’s online puzzles section. In addition to a daily crossword, subscribers can gain access to the entire puzzle archive, which includes word and logic puzzles (e.g. Sudoku). And the NYT is planning to expand this offering. New puzzle formats are intended to appeal to additional users and persuade them to take out an online sub-scription. This has worked well up to now, says the paper, and will continue to be a means to success in the future.

Yet this is still not enough: since mid-2017, NYT has also been offering online recipe subscriptions. For USD 5.00 per month, consumers can access more than 18,000 meal ideas. Next up is an online sub-scription product offering information and tips for bringing up kids. Since the end of March, a team from a variety of backgrounds and expertise in the areas of news, technology, product development and design has been working on a stand-alone offering designed for daily use.

The rise of the subscription economy

The example of the New York Times also sheds light on another reason why online subscriptions can secure publishers’ future. Sales from online subscrip-tions are having an increasing impact on the overall balance sheets of the U.S. newspapers. In Q1 2018, online subscription sales amounted to USD 95.4 mil-lion at NYT, while the NYT’s total sales stood at USD 413.9 million. This means that digital subscriptions already account for almost a quarter of total sales. Furthermore, in view of declining advertising rev-enue (-3.4% in Q1 2018), online subscriptions with their reliably rising sales figures are essentially also a key growth driver for the New York Times Company.

Online subscriptions are booming within the publishing industry. The example of the New York Times shows that this development is so much more than a passing fad. Online subscriptions really are a source of income to be taken seriously and presum-


ably, they will grow significantly in the future. The basis for this is a trend that is evident far beyond just the publishing industry. Subscriptions are also mak-ing their presence felt in completely different sectors of the economy. For example, the games developer Electronic Arts (EA) began offering more than 100 of its PC games on premium subscription for USD 14.99 per month, or USD 99.99 per annum, this summer, or even the german automotive manufac-turer, Daimler, which has been offering consumers the “Mercedes me Flexperience” since March 2018, where for a monthly fixed rental sum, subscribers can choose to drive up to twelve new Mercedes-Benz cars for a period of one year. Talk at the Stuttgart HQ is of the “car on demand” representing a “decisive step in the direction of the mobility of the future.”

With a company the size of Daimler, such pro-nouncements are not to be ignored – and the fol-lowing statistic should at least help to clarify the importance of the potential here: the U.S. compa-ny Zuora, a service provider for subscription-based business models, has published a Subscription Econ-omy Index. This serves to compare the growth rates of 100 such subscription-based companies with the top 500 listed companies in the USA (S&P 500). The findings speak for themselves: “Overall subscription businesses grew revenues about eight times faster than S&P 500 company revenues (17.6% versus 2.2%) and about fives times faster than U.S. retail sales (17.6% versus 3.6%) from January 1, 2012 to September 30, 2017.” n

Wolfgang Rakel

Number of Subscribers of Newspapers around the World (selection)

Newspaper Digital Subscribers

Date Paid- Content-Model

started

New York Times (uSa) 2.783.000 Q1 2018 Metered 2011

Wall Street Journal (uSa) 1.389.000 Q4 2017 Hard Paywall 1996

Washington Post (uSa) 1.000.000 Q3 2017 Metered 2013

Financial Times (uk) 714.000 Q4 2017 Hard Paywall 2015*

The Guardian (uk) 400.000 Oct-17 Voluntary Payments/Membership

2014

bild (GER) 395.800 May-18 Freemium 2013

The Times (uk) 220.000 Q4 2017 Hard Paywall 2010

Verdens Gang (NOR) 142.000 Q4 2017 Freemium 2011

Gazeta Wyborcza (POL) 133.000 Dec-17 Hybrid 2014

aftenposten (NOR) 100.000 Dec-17 Hybrid 2015

Welt (GER) 80.000 May-18 Freemium 2016**

Helsingin Sanomat (FIN) 70.000 - Hybrid -

Süddeutsche Zeitung (GER) 63.600 Q4 2017 Hybrid 2015

Die Zeit (GER) 40.000 Feb-18 Hybrid 2017

*The FT originally set up a metrered model back in 2007**Die Welt originally set up a metered model back in Dezember 2012

Source: IVW, corporate disclosures, Reuters Digital News Report 2018, own research © Presse Fachverlag 2018

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YOUR PRESS DISTRIBUTION PARTNER IN SWITZERLAND, GERMANY AND LUXEMBURG

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Michèle benbunanPrésidente-directrice générale / Chairman and CEO, Presstalis, Paris, France


In our interview with Michèle Benbunan, Présidente- directrice générale/Chairman and CEO, Presstalis, Paris, speaks out on the company’s demanding recovery programme and the perspectives of press sales in France.

Presstalis, France

Back on Track

Distripress Gazette: Mrs. benbunan, you have been in charge of Presstalis since the end of November 2017. What were the main tasks and challenges you had to deal with?

Michèle Benbunan: The first issue I had to deal with was the company’s very bad financial situation, as a result of serious errors in decision making in IT, lo-gistics and strategy during the previous six years. The Presstalis P&L showed a considerable loss, whereas a profit had been forecast for 2017. This poor financial performance was putting the company at risk within a very short term.To summarize, I might say I had to take very quick and tough decisions in order to react and overcome key issues which might have put in question the fu-ture of Presstalis.

Distripress Gazette: What do you already consider as a success?

Michèle Benbunan: Thanks to publishers’ and the French government’s involvement and strong sup-port, we first managed to set up and agree upon a financial plan in order to secure our financial posi-tion for 2018, whilst putting the company on the right path for the coming years. Fortunately, we had the strong back-up of all Presstalis team members whose dedication and support were essential to the execution and delivery of this plan.To assist in managing the plan, Presstalis was gran-ted a 90 million Euros loan by the government. To

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Distripress Gazette: What is your point of view con-cerning the perspectives of domestic press sales in France?

Michèle Benbunan: Domestic press sales in France have decreased by 7% year on year since the begin-ning of this year, compared to a planned decrease of 5%. The main reason for this is that the first 6 months of 2018 are compared to a very busy first semester last year when the French elections took place. Categories such as children’s titles and puz-zles performed ahead of the market.Although this sales erosion is obviously impacting mainly the newspapers segment, the domestic mar-ket is still reacting very positively to special events: interest in the football World Cup proved to be huge with global market sales increasing by 15% in the last week of the tournament. L’Equipe newspaper de-livered remarkable sales of 1.4million copies on the Monday following the final match!!!

Distripress Gazette: … and for imported press?

Michèle Benbunan: Imported press did really well on magazines with a positive trend of 3% last year and a projected positive performance this year. This is the result of the securing of new distribution con-tracts by the Import department of titles coming from England and Belgium and the development of titles in French language leveraging increased sales. Some strong long-established brands such as Radio Times and Weight Watchers also had the opportunity to consolidate or increase their sales as a result of the efforts of the very dedicated team in charge of foreign titles in Presstalis.Export Press won the distribution of a significant number of flagship titles in the fashion and luxu-ry segment, including System, Gentle Woman and Fantastic Man. Newspaper sales are on a decreasing trend, but publishers are still investing to print in France – at least for the season in order to be avail-able Day A – proving that the business model is still there.

Distripress Gazette: What are your main/most im-portant tools for marketing press products?

Michèle Benbunan: Our target is to, once again, inject added value services in to everything we do to support both publisher clients and the retail net-work. For example, we are working to re-organise our commercial team dedicated to visiting points

further assist us in managing our cash flow, publish-ers accepted an increase in their contribution to the cost of Presstalis distribution services of 2.25% over a 5-year period.

For the first time in the history of Presstalis, we ex-ecuted a restructuring plan which was not depend-ent on voluntary redundancies. This will result in 240 employees leaving the company before the end of October 2018. Despite this reduction in staff num-bers, Presstalis will have around 950 employees at the end of 2018 - a good number for us to perform well. I am pleased to be able to say that this restruc-turing review was conducted without any strike on our logistics platforms. Furthermore, we decided that we would selectively stop the new IT system and go back to the former platform, developing improve-ments from this secure and proven base.

All these decisions were taken very quickly thanks to the confidence demonstrated by our publishers, as well as the distribution network, including retailers, the government and regulation bodies.One main reason for this confidence in the business moving forward is our choice of transparency about the company on any subject. I strongly believe in clear and fair information, neither hiding bad news nor leaving big challenges unexplained.

Distripress Gazette: Which main challenges are still waiting for your company?

Michèle Benbunan: Our focus now is on providing the best service for the right price for our publisher clients. We are definitely aiming to increase our cli-ents’ loyalty by demonstrating that we are able to deliver a consistent and efficient marketing and lo-gistics service at a competitive price.Another big challenge for us is to stop the erosion of the retail network, currently standing at 23,300 points of sale. Presstalis plans to actively develop new points of sale via agreements with supermarkets and bookshops. We will seek to open corners in ded-icated, specialist shops e.g. gardening, pets, sports etc. We will support and closely follow changes on dedicated press retailers such as MediaKiosk, Relay and Maison de la Presse… On a totally different front, we are divesting from non-profitable developments such as Zeens subsidi-ary as well as non-strategic foreign subsidiaries such as Cameroon, Tunisia, Morocco, French West Indies.


of sale. In September, nearly 70 merchandisers will be visiting the retailers, making sure the assortment is efficient and that there is no copy shortage. This should deliver a major improvement to sales effi-ciency, benefitting every partner in the supply chain.We have performance tools to estimate sales very quickly and enable the publisher to adapt supplies and draw adjustments from one issue to another.

We are completely rebuilding our Presstalis Publish-ers website as well as our Retailers website, targeting more efficient and dedicated tailor-made informa-tion. Export Press will also launch a brand-new web-site just before the Distripress Congress.

Distripress Gazette: Thinking of expanding the port-folio: Which products do you consider as attractive for the domestic market?

Michèle Benbunan: We will maintain our high level of expertise in launching new titles to the market. We are also targeting to grow our range of collecti-bles which have proven to have high sales potential. Our plan is to open our network to books as a new area of development.

Distripress Gazette: ...and for tourists visiting France?

Michèle Benbunan: Tourists visiting France are difficult to follow because, unlike, for example, in Spain, they don’t tend to stay in one place. However,

we have built up a good knowledge base following their sales trends very carefully to improve targeting the number of copies and thus the publishers’ sales efficiency. This includes a very special focus on the significant volumes of locally printed dailies to the Riviera as well as the South West of France. The Im-port team has direct contact with retailers during the summer season to monitor the demand of English, German, Italian tourists, who are numerous in these areas.

Distripress Gazette: What is your point of view con-cerning Distripress? How important is it to have the association?

Michèle Benbunan: Distripress is a key moment for the Presstalis International team: Import, Export and Export Press. It is the second opportunity in the year, following the Presstalis Business Meetings in March, to meet both our publishers and distributors from all around the world. The Presstalis and Export Press teams already have a full agenda of meetings, which is a good sign of a very lively market place … A good place to do business I would say!Most importantly, the fact that our International Di-rector, Carine Nevejans, has been re-elected as Presi-dent for a second 3-year term is very significant for Presstalis. It shows the recognition of our company and our professionalism. It also reinforces the very strategic place dedicated to International sales with-in our core business.

Distripress Gazette: What are your expectations con-cerning the forthcoming congress in Rome?

Michèle Benbunan: We expect deals, intense busi-ness discussions, reinforced partnerships but also best practices and new strategic ideas thanks to the Forum. You see, we keep on having high expecta-tions at every level! n

Questions: Ralf Deppe, Distripress Gazette

KEY FACTS

Sales ~1,4BE (2017) of which;

Publications: ~E850M (~2,200 titles, 585M copies distributed and ~315M sold)

National newspapers: ~E300M (~300M copies distributed and ~155M sold)

Non-Press: ~E100M

Import: ~E30M

Export: ~E125M

Number of employees: ~950

Number of points of sale: ~23,300


Güll GmbH grew into its current form as a special-ist in cross-border press distribution from its base in Lindau on Lake Constance in southern Germany. According to Bernd Robke (CEO), the full service provider at the tri-border area between Germany, Austria and Switzerland has consistently gained new customers and, in doing so, has been largely able to compensate for declining sales figures in the press market. Today, Güll handles around two-thirds of foreign subscriptions to German newspapers in Swit-zerland and Austria.

The Güll Group arranges 25 million deliveries per year. The shipment volume has, according to Bernd Robke, more or less remained at this level over the past few years, because the company can offer its publishing customers the most favourable shipping terms and still remains attractive to new custom-ers as the largest press distribution service provider in the German speaking world outside of Germany. “As market leaders, we have been able to distance ourselves somewhat from the negative developments experienced in the press market and even gain mar-ket shares as something of a ‘last man standing’ in the sector.”

Limits to growth in core business

“What Güll offers is and will always remain in essence a transportation service,” explains Robke, who came to Lindau from the Bertelsmann subsidi-ary Arvato in 2013, in order to assume responsibil-ity for the management of the company on behalf of Deutsche Post DHL and Burda Direct, who at that time held a stake in Güll. “We consolidate our customer shipments and prepare them in line with the requirements of the postal delivery services in

Press logistics firm Güll taps into new markets

Güll GmbH is the market leader for exports of German press publications in Switzerland and Austria. In addition, Güll, a full service provider for publishing houses, has built up a second string to its bow in the form of cross-border e-commerce. To-gether with the associate firm 7Days, Güll now intends to tap into additional markets in this sector.

the delivery destination countries, for example by pre-sorting by postcode areas. In return, we receive significantly more favourable terms from the postal companies, which we are then able to pass onto our publishers.”

However, it seems that the positive effects of this consolidation have been fully exploited in Güll’s core area of business: “We expect the market to shrink so much in future that we will be unable to offset the decline by acquiring new customers”, Robke ex-plains. This would in turn ramp up profit pressure in the press sector. The company will therefore be forced to confront – as is the case for the industry as a whole – the challenge of streamlining process-es, reducing costs and compensating the rising unit costs associated with declining circulation figures: “The point is, in terms of costs, the process is the same whether we handle 4,000 or 5,000 copies for a customer. In both cases, we have to correctly equip our machines, shrink wrap the publications, sort them and handle the address management. In terms of income, however, things are different: sales in-come falls in proportion with the shipment volume.”

New mainstay in e-commerce

It is also because of this that Güll is intending to expand its service portfolio to include customers outside of the press sector: Under the management of Bernd Robke, the company started to adapt its press sector business concept to tap into new tar-get groups. Cross-border logistics, fulfilment and distribution services for e-commerce and mail order customers are set to complement its core business. This process has been set in motion under the aegis of a new affiliated company, the corporate group


7Days, managed by German entrepreneur Thomas Kirschner. 7Days bought out the Güll Group’s former owners in full, before selling a minority shareholding on to Bernd Robke.

Robke commented on the future strategic direc-tion of the company: “I am of the strongest pos-sible conviction that press products will remain a core component of Güll’s business in ten years’ time. However, we have also added a second business pil-lar to the strategy in a growth market. We bundle to-gether cross-border e-commerce shipments, look to arrange the most suitable transportation solution for these, handle customs clearance for these products, manage returns and customer service solutions.” The model has already proven its worth in Austria and Switzerland, Robke elaborates. Within four years, Güll has become one of the largest parcel service customers of Schweizer Post (the Swiss post office) in the German-speaking region of the country.

Focus on new markets

In the future, the company is intending to roll out cross-border services for online retail through-out Europe. The target group identified as the most promising by the Güll Group includes companies which ship up to 50,000 packages abroad per year. Robke explains: “Here, these companies are operat-ing in a sector in which proprietary structures are not financially feasible – they don’t make sense. Never-theless, these customers require help in terms of cus-toms clearance and issues surrounding taxation. We will provide a turnkey concept to customers such as these, starting with creating the shipment label right through to customer services and returns solutions.”

At present, the preparations for market launch at the end of 2018 are underway. “We are negotiat-ing with freight operators in the respective countries, holding talks with other service providers that we are looking to bring on board and are investing in personnel and IT”, CEO Robke explains.

In a first step, the focus will be on the Benelux countries as well as France and Italy. To this end, a new logistical hub in Frankfurt am Main is being set up. The business group is represented by various subsidiaries in this region. These include PVG Presse-Vertriebs-Gesellschaft KG – one of the largest press product wholesalers in Germany – in addition to the media logistics firm VCA Logistik + Services, a com-pany whose service portfolio already includes ware-house storage, fulfilment, distribution and returns management. These services are set to be offered to Güll Group customers in future.

Bernd Robke is aware of the challenges pre-sented by tapping into new markets: “Before now, we had built up a very strong position in our little niche. We are well-known in the area of cross-border

transportation management for press products by anyone who wishes to arrange shipments to Austria or Switzerland. In contrast, we are largely unheard of in terms of e-commerce. That’s why we need new, creative ideas and be in a position to quickly respond to emerging trends. You could say we are in need of genuine start-up inspiration here.” However, the CEO of the Güll Group has also identified opportuni-ties associated with this: “I am increasingly noticing that the company as a whole stands to benefit from developing growth markets where the figures are on the rise each month. I am convinced that our press customers ultimately stand to benefit from this as well. “

Johannes Freytag, Distripress Gazette., Hamburg

bernd Robke, Managing Partner Güll GmbH, Lindau, Germany

© Güll

48 gazette 2018 DISTRIPRESS - COMPANy PROFILES

Dynamic Thought was set up in response to a gap in the market for a new kind of events agency by Jess Hartley and Dave Martin who have over 50 years’ experience between them in publishing and events. As such, we consider ourselves to be a pioneer agency helping publishers connect, engage and delight their readers and audiences by harnessing the power of innovative and immersive creative event concepts. Whether you already have an established events division or whether you are looking to create an events portfolio, we can provide strategic live engagement and activa-tion solutions across the B2B, consumer and luxury publishing sectors.

We are the live experience agency for publishers

WHaT SERVICES DO WE PROVIDE?

Event Concept and management: For publishers looking to launch branded events

Event creation is where we excel – it’s all in the ‘Dynamic Thought’. This involves the concept, content, and ultimate delivery of the event. The experience, contacts and expertise we have ensures that creative ideas fit your brief so we can deliver on the content, sponsorship, and management on site. Our event concepts focus on the delivery of deep insight-led events for our clients, experiences that generate brand advocacy and drive sales. From large scale traditional conferences that are content-led to unique personalised experiences, we connect publishers with their audiences and readers in a meaningful way. We do this by creating and delivering immer-sive and share-worthy brand events:n Conferences & summitsn Mini expos & trade showsn Live brand experiencesn Sponsorship activation with key advertisersn Awards and readership-led events

Aside from the events above we can also work with you on creating disruptive experiences that get people talking, or one-to-one engagements that drive behavioural change and create new brand fans. We always search for the extraordinary in all sectors. Our event management and creation involve looking after:n Program strategy and speaker acquisitionn Creation and delivery of event agendasn Engaging and linking in with partners, sponsors and attendeesn Project management from inception to onsiten Close collaboration with marketing, sponsorship sales, and logistics teams to ensure commercial success

One of the main reasons and aims of our events is to create revenue streams and futureproof our client’s publishing businesses.Licensing: For publishers with established event portfolios and products

One of our core business offerings to those national and global pub-lishers who have an events division is to introduce publishing houses to event companies around the world with the aim of creating a new revenue stream. We licence successful publisher events to regional event compa-nies. The benefits to all are tenfold and include giving publishers brand

Who are Dynamic Thought?


DISTRIPRESS- COMPANy PROFILES gazette 2018 49

exposure in regions where they do not currently have a presence both in print or for events, reducing the liability of launching new events and above all generating a new revenue stream.

The event companies will benefit by having a ready-made programme written, tried and tested with a global brand. This minimises time consuming research and development and has the advantage of a ‘quick to market’ approach ensuring maximum returns with low launch costs.

Event licensing is a low-risk high dividend model and our approach ensures a win-win situation for both sets of clients. Furthermore, by partnering with event companies in new regions you are also developing new relationships and offering potential readers in other regions access to a high-profile event, content and leading industry speakers who they would not otherwise have the opportunity to see. Our advice for publish-ers exploring their brand extension options is to give some serious thought to developing an event licensing strategy. Dynamic Thought, a first of its kind agency can help you explore the global possibilities that licens-ing offers. Licensing is a great opportunity to grow and expand your business and take it to the next level.

WHY CHOOSE uS?

In today’s digitally saturated business environment, live conferences, meetings, and events are more im-portant than ever to establish an in-person touch point. We can help publishers build better conversations with their clients and consumers through events whilst adding to their bottom line!

The importance of creating a brand experience – whether at an annual conference, an employee training event or an industry exhibition – is ever growing, and with our wealth of experiential experience, we are well placed to combine the format of traditional events with greater entertainment, personalisation and immersive engagement. We are all about that rare blend of creativity and commercial understanding, coupled with an ambition to promote the value of truly bespoke experiences. In essence, we are an events company that is proud to be different from the rest. Dynamic Thought can help bring your publication to life!

Our creative events start with a consultation so we can design a unique live experience for your publica-tion or brand.Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Who are Dynamic Thought?

DISTRIPRESS- COMPANy PROFILES gazette 2018 49

©Thaut Images - stock.adobe.com


Wherever you go in the world, National Geographic magazine’s distinctive yellow border is a familiar sight on most newsstands. For many, its eye-catching cover anticipates breathtaking photography and fascinating in-sights into nature, science, history, and humanity. It offers readers a portal to explore the farthest reaches of the Earth and beyond. Yet there is even more to National Geographic magazine than this—an extraordinary purpose that has driven the magazine and its readership for 130 years.

Since 1888, National Geographic has been igniting the explorer in all of us with a determined commitment to furthering our understanding of the world. Our founders, including Alexander Graham Bell, understood the power of great storytelling to spark curiosity, solve big problems, and push the boundaries of knowledge, and so in October 1888 they printed a 50-cent journal with a plain brown cover. Since then, National Geographic magazine has grown to become the global mouthpiece for the National Geographic Society—a community of bold people with an insatiable curios-ity and a passion for exploring and protecting the planet. The magazine and the society are inextricably linked in a unique and powerful partnership that shapes the way people think about the world and themselves.

Through the pages of the magazine, readers have uncovered the myster-ies of Machu Picchu with Professor Hiram Bingham, explored the world’s oceans with the legendary Jacques Cousteau, fallen in love with chimpan-zees through Jane Goodall’s pioneering studies, and dived into the dark-ness of the icy Atlantic with Robert Ballard in his quest for the Titanic. National Geographic not only reported these extraordinary stories but ac-tually made them happen. The magazine has helped to fund each of these great adventures, because proceeds from its sale are ploughed back into the non-profit National Geographic Society. This creates a virtuous cycle of sto-rytelling and philanthropy by which more than 13,000 National Geographic grants have been given to explorers, scientists, conservationists, photogra-phers, and storytellers. The work of these grantees work makes a tangible difference to the world, from the Big Cats Initiative that is preserving the populations of big cats in the wild, to the Pristine Seas project, which has helped protect more than 4.5 million square kilometres of the ocean’s last wild places. In supporting and reporting extraordinary work such as this, National Geo-graphic has become one of the world’s most trusted media brands. It is recognised and revered for providing authoritative and unbiased content that is influential far beyond the millions of readers it reaches every month. Shining a spotlight on the critical challenges facing our planet and the important stories that define our time, through award-winning visual-first journalism every story not only entertains and enlightens, but also inspires and empowers positive change. In January 2017, the magazine was entirely dedicated to a groundbreaking exploration of gender issues, for which it was named a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting. From highlighting the illegal trade in ivory to raising awareness of the effects of global warming, National Geographic has been at the forefront of journal-ism that really makes a difference.

Beyond the Yellow Border


DISTRIPRESS - COMPANy PROFILES gazette 2018 51

Most recently, National Geographic has launched Planet or Plastic?, a mul-tiyear initiative aimed at raising awareness of the dangers that single-use plastics pose to our oceans. As a global brand with a rich history of sci-entific exploration and discovery, we are uniquely positioned to tackle this crisis through storytelling and science—leveraging the expertise, power, and reach of National Geographic magazine to persuade readers to choose the good of the planet over the convenience of single-use plastics. Through a drumbeat of in-depth and easily digestible editorial coverage, National Geographic is driving awareness and popular engagement on one of the most pressing issues facing our planet today. And National Geographic is doing its part. Beginning with the June issue, subscribers in the U.S. and U.K. now receive the magazine in a paper rather than plastic wrapper, sav-ing more than 2.5 million single-use plastic bags every month. And we are encouraging other companies to look at moves they can make to also move the needle.

National Geographic magazine is the very definition of journalism with purpose. We believe in the power of storytelling to change the world, and the power of print to deliver a global message. The grants that National Geographic magazine helps fund, the stories we tell, the actions we inspire are all more important than ever. Our planet is at a crossroads, and we are driven by the urgent need to encourage a path that leads to balance. That is why every copy of every issue of National Geographic magazine matters. Each month we reach millions of people of all ages and backgrounds across 172 countries in 33 languages—not only to inform and delight but also to challenge, question, and inspire change. Looking again at the iconic yel-low border of National Geographic magazine, there is so much more than meets the eye.

To partner with National Geographic please contact Lizanne Barber on [email protected]

By Jon Heggie, National Geographic

Beyond the Yellow Border

PLANET OR PLASTIC?

18 billion pounds of plastic ends up in

the ocean each year. And that’s just the

tip of the iceberg.

06

.20

18

06 .2018

“Plastics aren’t inherently bad. It’s what we do,

or don’t do, with them that counts.”

S Y LV I A E A R L E N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C

E X P L O R E R - I N - R E S I D E N C E

—

Distri Solutions is a private limited company, the stockholders are Mr. Ste-fan Klotzner and Mr. Daniele Romani, the registered offices are in Bolzano, Italy and the object of the company is the commercialization of sorting plants for newspapers, journals and magazines as well as for the allocation thereof and for the verification of the returned press.

One of the stockholders is the owner and the other one is the technical director of the “Südtiroler Pressevertrieb” (local distributor). With their ex-tensive experience over the last decades they have developed a new sorting plant, which allows to reduce personnel costs in the sorting department by 60%. The first plant was installed at the “Südtiroler Pressevertrieb” ware-houses and taken into service successfully on February 22, 2016. Before the start of operation, the sortation was handled manually on shelfs with a man/hour performance of 800-900 pieces of newspaper/journals. With the new plant running the man/hour performance was improved in 2017 to 2800 pieces of newspaper/journals.

This plant as a world debut was patented und will now be presented at the 2018 DISTRIPRESS Congress in Rome from September 30 - October 3, 2018.

Visit us – our website is http://distrisolutionsbz.com/Distri Solutions Ltd. Via del Macello 1339100 Bolzano, Italy

Distri Solutions Ltd.


Stefan klotzner Daniele Romani

Distri Solutions Ltd.


Official LanguageThe official language is Italian.

CurrencyThe official currency in Italy is the EURO.

ExchangeMajor credit cards are accepted in most hotels,

shops and restaurants. There are also many ATM machines around the city from where guests can withdraw cash easily. Some 4* and many 5* hotels are also able to exchange currency.

ClimateAt the start of October, the average daily tem-

perature in Rome is around 19°C and gradually drops until it reaches 14°C – 15°C at the end of the month. The city usually experiences eight hours of sunshine each day, with limited rain throughout the month.

Time ZoneItaly is GMT/UTC + 1h.

Electric CurrentItalian appliances are 220 volts.Sockets in Italy only accept plugs with slim

prongs. If, for some reason, your adapter doesn’t work in your hotel-room socket, just ask at the front desk for assistance; hotels will surely have the right adapter.

AccessibilityThe main airport in Rome is Leonardo Da Vinci-

Fiumicino. It is approximately 40 mins from the city centre.

There is a direct train service from Fiumicino and tickets can be bought online at trenitalia.it

Tickets cost from 8,00 to 14,00 EURO each way.Trains arrive at Rome’s main station, Termini. From here, the underground network reaches most areas of the city. Tickets are 1,50 EURO per journey.

Taxis from Fiumicino airport will cost approxi-mately 48.00 EUROS to reach the main city centre hotels.

The main taxi company in Rome is Radio Taxi 3570 – Tel +39 06 3570.

Note: Ciampino is the second airport in Rome. It is situated 12km South East of the city centre and services mainly charter airlines.

Sales TaxVAT tax is included on all rates and there are tax

free schemes for non-EU residents available in shops throughout Italy.

Health RequirementsWith the exception of vaccination certificates

for persons coming where yellow fever is endem-ic, at the present time there are no special health requirements.

Medical CareHospitals provide 24-hour emergency services

and also private practices are open throughout the day.

The emergency number is 118. Most of the 4* and 5* hotels have a doctor on call to be contacted through the reception desk.

Tipping / GratuitiesTipping in Italy is entirely up to the client and

dependent on the service. A fair tip is usually around 10% for restaurant and bar staff.

PharmacyPharmacies in Rome are usually open from

09.30 to 13.00 and then from 16.00 to 20.00.There are also night shift pharmacies available

through the night. Find their location

SmokingNo smoking is allowed in any public areas in

Italy. This includes restaurants, bars and hotels, un-less stated differently for specific areas of a property.

Hotel – Check in/OutCheck-in is usually possible from 14.00 and

check-out is by 11.00.

Hotel – Ironing servicesIn most of the Italian Hotels it is not possible to

use irons inside the rooms due to a strict fire safety policy. Many of the 4* and 5* star hotel properties offer an ironing service.

For further info please visit turismoroma.it

Rome – Useful Information

Distripress Congress Sponsors 2018

Distripress would like to thank the following companies for their generous support


2018 Distripress CongressSite Plan and Exhibitor Profiles


Expo Lounge Plan


BOOTh NO. 09

Cicaboom srlVia Caffaro 2/1 Cap.16124 GenovaItalyTel: + 39 3481559330www.cicaboom.comContact: Fulvio Fantino [email protected]

BOOTh NO. 09

Sbabam – a Tema Promotional companyViale Europa 2220861 brugherio Monza e brianzaItalyTel: +39 39 878499www.sbabam.itContact: Emanuele Fedeli [email protected]

BOOTh NO. 01

Distri Solutions3 Via del Maello 39100 bolzanoItalyTel: +39 348 230 7798www.distrisolutionsb7.com Contact: Stefan klotzner [email protected]

BOOTh NO. 10

Famous brands205, arch. Makarios avenue, Victory House 3030 LimassolCyprusTel: + 35725584817www.famousbrands.grContact: Daniela Tassiou [email protected]

BOOTh NO. 07

HS News Systems aSOlavsgate 393612 kongsbergNorwayTel: +47 32 8672 20www.hsnews.noContact: Martine H. Yttervik [email protected]

BOOTh NO. 05

Magico EditionsCarrer constitución 3, bajo 2, 08960 Sant Just Desvern barcelonaSpainTel: +34 93 5107800www.magicoeditions.comContact: Mathilde Lecampion [email protected]

BOOTh NO. 12

Plastiroll OyVanha Vaasantie 11, 33470 YlöjärviFinlandTel: +358 3 3800 800www.plastiroll.fi/en/Contact: Marko Päiväniemi [email protected]

BOOTh NO. 04

Press NetworksCarrer constitución 3, bajo 2, 08960 Sant Just Desvern barcelonaSpainTel: +33 1 42 68 10 30www.press-networks.comContact: Jean-bertrand Monnier [email protected]

Distripress is pleased to present the following companies who will be exhibiting during the 2018 Congress. (Exhibitors listed in alphabetical order)


BOOTh NO. 03

RoulartaMeiboomlaan 338800 RoeselarebelgiumTel: + 32 51 26 61 11www.roulartaprinting.be Contact: bart Declercq [email protected]

BOOTh NO. 02

TWI Picking & Returns systemsIndustriestr. 6,76189 karlsruheGermanyTel: +49 721950770www.twi-germany.comContact: Mrs. Wibke Eberhard | Mr. Nils buck [email protected] [email protected]

BOOTh NO. 06

DistripressRegistered address; Riesbachstrasse 57,Postfach, 8034 ZurichSwitzerland

Representative office address;Fox Court14, Gray’s Inn RoadLondonWC1X 8HNTel: +44 203 865 3519www.distripress.orgContact: Tracy Jones [email protected] anna Sponquiado [email protected] team will be available for any Congress or mem-bership queries.

Information Stands


BOOTh NO. 08

Studio Gi 23900 Lecco (LC) Via Roma 78RomeItalyTel: +39 (0) 341/368524www.gi-consulting.it Contact:Mauro [email protected] company provides a wide range of tax and finan-cial advisory. Representatives from Studio Gi will be available to assist delegates with enquiries about VaT.

BOOTh NO. 06

Reporters Without bordershttps://rsf.org/enReporters Without borders, or Reporters Sans Fron-tières, is an international non-profit, non-governmen-tal organisation that promotes and defends freedom of information and freedom of the press.

ONE-MAN STAND

Distripress Training FoundationRegistered address; Riesbachstrasse 57,Postfach, 8034 [email protected] Distripress Training Foundation (DTF) has a new committee working on a re-launch plan for the Foundation. The objective is to create a training programme that best reflects today’s training and development needs. Please visit the DTF stand in the Expo lounge and share your thoughts and ideas to help shape the future of the DTF.

BOOTh NO. 06

berlin TourismberlinGermanywww.visitberlin.de/enContact: Ludivine Jean-alphonse [email protected] Representatives from Distripress’ local partner, QT/ THE EVENT STuDIO, will be available to assist delegates with the planning of your trip to the 2019 Distripress Congress location - berlin.

AcknowledgementsPublisherPresse Fachverlag GmbH & Co. KGNebendahlstrasse 16, 22041 HamburgGermanyTel. +49 40 60 90 09-0 Fax +49 40 60 90 09-88 www.presse-fachverlag.de

The Distripress Gazette is published by Presse Fachverlag GmbH & Co. KG on behalf of Distripress, Zurich

Distripress - The World of Print and Digital DistributionRiesbachstrasse 57 Postfach, 8034 Zürich SwitzerlandTel. +44 (2) 203 865 [email protected]

Editor-in-chiefRalf DeppeTel. +49 40 60 90 09-80 [email protected]

TranslationArb limited, [email protected];

Articles with the name of the author do not neces-sarily reflect the opinion of either the publisher or Distripress.

© Presse Fachverlag GmbH & Co. KG Hamburg, Germany 2017

Commercial managersPeter StrahlendorfAntje-Betina Weidlich-Strahlendorf

Project-ManagementAnja Kruse-AnyaegbuTel. +49 40 60 90 09-95 [email protected]

advertisingMevlüde yüceTel. +49 40 60 90 09-96 [email protected]

DesignMeike Wellhöner

Printing and lithographyLehmann Offsetdruck GmbH, Norderstedt, GermanyISSN 1662-0658

Cover pictures: © Manakin - IStock; Katharina Wieland Müller - Pixelio; Karl-Michael Sömer - Pixelio; Pixabay

BERL N201964TH DISTRIPRESS CONGRESS, SEPTEMBER 22-25, 2019

The 2019 Distripress Congress will take place at the Berlin Congress

Centre from 22-25 September 2019.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of reunification, we

look forward to seeing you in Berlin to celebrate press and distribution

freedom.

SEE yOU THERE.

Set your standards high.

Your support is “colossale”. A warm thank you to all our international distribution partners for the support and reliability. We wish you a successful Distripress Congress in Rome.

180516_Anzeige_Distripress.indd 1 18.05.18 10:28

issn 1662-0658 gazette · [email protected] + 971 4 417 4800 jashanmal & sons w.l.l....

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