Mecom Group
Encyclopedia
Mecom Group plc is a newspaper
publishing company headquartered in London
, United Kingdom
.
It is listed on the London Stock Exchange
and was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index
until 22 December 2008, when it became one of three media companies to fall out of the index.
, a former CEO of the Mirror Group
and former editor of The Sun
, Daily Mirror, News of the World
and Today
.
Mecom was first listed on the Alternative Investment Market
in 2005.
In 2008, Mecom was admitted to the main list of the London Stock Exchange
.
. Mecom is considered no more than a holding company with more debts (370 mil.) than stock value (320 mil.).
The Company owned around 300 titles and has had substantial operations in the Netherlands
, Denmark
, Norway
, Germany
and Poland
.
However, in 2009, Mecom sold all their newspapers in Germany to M. DuMont Schauberg
and large parts of their newspapers in Norway.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
publishing company headquartered in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
It is listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
and was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index
FTSE 250 Index
The FTSE 250 Index is a capitalisation-weighted index consisting of the 101st to the 350th largest companies on the London Stock Exchange. Promotions to and demotions from the index take place quarterly in March, June, September and December...
until 22 December 2008, when it became one of three media companies to fall out of the index.
History
The company was founded in 2000 by David MontgomeryDavid Montgomery (newspaper executive)
David Montgomery is a British newspaper editor, executive, proprietor and media investor....
, a former CEO of the Mirror Group
Trinity Mirror
Trinity Mirror plc is a large British newspaper and magazine publisher. It is Britain's biggest newspaper group, publishing 240 regional papers as well as the national Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and People, and the Scottish Sunday Mail and Daily Record. Its headquarters are at Canary Wharf in...
and former editor of The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
, Daily Mirror, News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
and Today
Today (UK newspaper)
Today was a national newspaper in the United Kingdom, which was published between 1986 and 1995.-History:Today, with the American newspaper USA Today as inspiration, launched on Tuesday, 4 March 1986, with the front page headline, "Second Spy Inside GCHQ". At 18 pence, it was a middle-market...
.
Mecom was first listed on the Alternative Investment Market
Alternative Investment Market
AIM is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange, allowing smaller companies to float shares with a more flexible regulatory system than is applicable to the main market....
in 2005.
In 2008, Mecom was admitted to the main list of the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
.
Growth through acquisition
- 2005: In conjunction with the AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
media private equity firmPrivate equity firmA private equity firm is an investment manager that makes investments in the private equity of operating companies through a variety of loosely affiliated investment strategies including leveraged buyout, venture capital, and growth capital...
Veronis Suhler StevensonVeronis Suhler StevensonVeronis Suhler Stevenson, or VSS is a private equity firm whose investments are exclusively concentrated in the Media industry and related sectors including information, education, marketing services and business services...
, the company acquired Berliner Verlag, publisher of the Berliner ZeitungBerliner ZeitungThe Berliner Zeitung, founded in 1945, is a German center-left daily newspaper based in Berlin, published by Berliner Verlag. It is the only East German paper to achieve national prominence since unification. In 2003, the Berliner was Berlin's largest subscription newspaper—the weekend...
and the Berliner Kurier. - 2006: Mecom bought GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's oldest newspaper, the Hamburger MorgenpostHamburger MorgenpostHamburger Morgenpost is a daily German newspaper, published in Hamburg in tabloid format.The Hamburger Morgenpost is the second largest newspaper in Hamburg.- History :...
, and the DutchNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Media Groep Limburg. - 2006: Mecom acquired Orkla Media, a NorwegianNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
Group which includes Edda MediaEdda MediaEdda Media is a Norwegian media group that owns a number of Norwegian newspapers, television channels, radio channels and websites. The company is part of the Mecom Group and is the remaining domestic part of Orkla Media. In 2006 the newspapers in the Edda Group had 1,250,000 daily readers, a...
, Berlingske Officin and RzeczpospolitaRzeczpospolita (newspaper)Rzeczpospolita is a Polish national daily newspaper, with a circulation around of 160,000. Issued every day except Sunday. Rzeczpospolita was printed in broadsheet format, then switched to compact at October 16, 2007...
. - 2007: The company bought a controlling stake in the DutchNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
publishing group WegenerWegener (company)Koninklijke Wegener NV is a Dutch publisher of newspapers. It is the largest publisher of regional newspapers, free newspapers and special interest magazines in the Netherlands and also deals with internet products and graphical products-History:...
.
Operations
In 2010, half the revenue and three-quarters of the profit comes from the Dutch Wegener groupWegener (company)
Koninklijke Wegener NV is a Dutch publisher of newspapers. It is the largest publisher of regional newspapers, free newspapers and special interest magazines in the Netherlands and also deals with internet products and graphical products-History:...
. Mecom is considered no more than a holding company with more debts (370 mil.) than stock value (320 mil.).
The Company owned around 300 titles and has had substantial operations in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
However, in 2009, Mecom sold all their newspapers in Germany to M. DuMont Schauberg
M. DuMont Schauberg
M. DuMont Schauberg is one of Germany's oldest and largest publishing houses. Founded by Bertram Hilden in 1620, Marcus du Mont acquired the "Kölnische Zeitung" in 1805 - then the business's main newspaper...
and large parts of their newspapers in Norway.