Emap has increased its presence in France and acquired a 50 per cent stake in the magazine publishing company Media Nature from its joint venture partner Bayard Group for £16m.
The acquisition coincides with the launch of car magazine ADDX in France. Aimed at car enthusiasts aged 18 to 24, Emap is hoping it will repeat the success of Max Power in the UK.
The new titles are expected to give Emap a market-leading position in the French outdoor sector.
There are seven magazines in the hunting, fishing and gardening markets including four monthly, two bi-monthly and one quarterly title. The Media Nature portfolio includes Le Chasseur Fran?ais, L’Ami des Jardins et de la Ma"son, La Chasse, and La Peche et les Poissons.
Le Chasseur Francais is France’s seventh largest monthly magazine and has a circulation of 544,000. L’Ami des Jardins et de la Maison is, according to Emap, the leading monthly gardening title in France with a circulation of around 188,000.
Robin Miller, Emap’s group chief executive, said: "Having part-owned Media Nature’s magazines for several years, we know the business well and expect it to be easily integrated into Emap France. Media Nature is a typical Emap-style, bolt-on acquisition, which complements our existing activities extremely well. We will do more of these."
By Ruth Addicott
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