Family-owned publishing house Herder acquires the Thalia bookstore chain

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The Background  After a successful and forward-looking restructuring process, Advent International has sold the market leader of retail bookselling to new owners.

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The Deal  The new owners are the publishing family Herder, supplemented by the current Managing Director of Thalia, Michael Busch, and the entrepreneur Leif Göritz, who will contribute his digital expertise in the future as Chair of the supervisory board. The Kreke family will remain involved in Thalia as a minority shareholder. IEG – Investment Banking Group has acted as exclusive financial advisor to the buyers.

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The Prospect The common vision is for Thalia to become synonymous with reading culture in the digital age. The intention is that investments in omni-channel trade and in the area of eReading will also strengthen the company’s position as a market leader.

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