Ganske Publishing Group
Encyclopedia
Ganske Verlagsgruppe is a German
publishing holding company
consisting of eighteen distinct companies. The group is active mainly in book
and magazine
publishing
with an emphasis on travel, gourmet, lifestyle, and architecture, catering to an upscale market. It has approximately 2,000 employees. The corporate headquarters are based in Hamburg
with additional offices in Munich
and several other cities.
Licensed versions of the group's magazines as well as corporate publishing products such as the BMW
Magazine and the Relais & Chateaux
Magazine are published throughout the world.
The group left considerable marks on the German publishing world by starting avantgarde ventures such as the weekly newspaper Die Woche and monthly magazine TEMPO, breeding several well known journalist
s and experimenting with new styles that later became staples of the journalistic toolbox. Because of the group's upscale portfolio, reputation for innovation and high profitability it has been the target of several unsuccessful takeover
attempts.
subscription service Lesezirkel daheim in Kiel, thus laying the foundations of today's group of companies, which has been growing steadily ever since. Today, the group is one of the leading quality providers of book
s, magazine
s, electronic publishing
and media
distribution
in Germany
.
As early as 1938, the Lesezirkel maintained 30 outlets throughout Germany serving 180,000 customers by satisfying their appetite for reading matter. In 1941, Kurt Ganske – the son of the company's founder – invested in the prestigious Hoffmann und Campe Verlag in Hamburg. Nine years later, he took over the remaining share
s of the publishing
house. This acquisition marked the starting point for constant growth characterized by bestseller
s in the book trade as well as by the development of new brand-shaping magazines in the Jahreszeiten Verlag. After his father's death in 1979, Thomas Ganske, today's owner, took on responsibility for the entire group. Step by step, Thomas Ganske has restructured the company since 1990. In 2001, these measures resulted in setting up the Ganske Verlagsgruppe as a holding company
of which he himself became chief executive officer
. The holding company is directed at further advancing the integration and management
of the individual companies. It is to develop joint group strategies and brand
presentations and to promote the consistent use of synergy
potentials. Securing the independence of the company by way of economic strength and facilitating the process of internationalization
remain to be the primary objectives of the media
enterprise.
Magazine Publishing (Jahreszeiten Verlag)
Electronic Publishing
Distribution / Retail / Hotel
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...
publishing holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
consisting of eighteen distinct companies. The group is active mainly in book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
and magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
publishing
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
with an emphasis on travel, gourmet, lifestyle, and architecture, catering to an upscale market. It has approximately 2,000 employees. The corporate headquarters are based in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
with additional offices in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and several other cities.
Licensed versions of the group's magazines as well as corporate publishing products such as the BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
Magazine and the Relais & Chateaux
Relais & Chateaux
Relais & Châteaux is a global fellowship of individually owned and operated luxury hotels and restaurants. Although the total number or members changes as members are added and others drop away, the group currently has some 500 members in 60 countries on five continents. Strongly represented in...
Magazine are published throughout the world.
The group left considerable marks on the German publishing world by starting avantgarde ventures such as the weekly newspaper Die Woche and monthly magazine TEMPO, breeding several well known journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s and experimenting with new styles that later became staples of the journalistic toolbox. Because of the group's upscale portfolio, reputation for innovation and high profitability it has been the target of several unsuccessful takeover
Takeover
In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company by another . In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to the acquisition of a private company.- Friendly takeovers :Before a bidder makes an offer for another...
attempts.
History
In 1907, Richard Ganske established the magazineMagazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
subscription service Lesezirkel daheim in Kiel, thus laying the foundations of today's group of companies, which has been growing steadily ever since. Today, the group is one of the leading quality providers of book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s, magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s, electronic publishing
Electronic publishing
Electronic publishing or ePublishing includes the digital publication of e-books and electronic articles, and the development of digital libraries and catalogues. Electronic publishing has become common in scientific publishing where it has been argued that peer-reviewed scientific journals are in...
and media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
distribution
Distribution (business)
Product distribution is one of the four elements of the marketing mix. An organization or set of organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by a consumer or business user.The other three parts of the marketing mix are product, pricing,...
in 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...
.
As early as 1938, the Lesezirkel maintained 30 outlets throughout Germany serving 180,000 customers by satisfying their appetite for reading matter. In 1941, Kurt Ganske – the son of the company's founder – invested in the prestigious Hoffmann und Campe Verlag in Hamburg. Nine years later, he took over the remaining share
Share (finance)
A joint stock company divides its capital into units of equal denomination. Each unit is called a share. These units are offered for sale to raise capital. This is termed as issuing shares. A person who buys share/shares of the company is called a shareholder, and by acquiring share or shares in...
s of the publishing
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
house. This acquisition marked the starting point for constant growth characterized by bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
s in the book trade as well as by the development of new brand-shaping magazines in the Jahreszeiten Verlag. After his father's death in 1979, Thomas Ganske, today's owner, took on responsibility for the entire group. Step by step, Thomas Ganske has restructured the company since 1990. In 2001, these measures resulted in setting up the Ganske Verlagsgruppe as a holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
of which he himself became chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
. The holding company is directed at further advancing the integration and management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
of the individual companies. It is to develop joint group strategies and brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
presentations and to promote the consistent use of synergy
Synergy
Synergy may be defined as two or more things functioning together to produce a result not independently obtainable.The term synergy comes from the Greek word from , , meaning "working together".-Definitions and usages:...
potentials. Securing the independence of the company by way of economic strength and facilitating the process of internationalization
Internationalization
In economics, internationalization has been viewed as a process of increasing involvement of enterprises in international markets, although there is no agreed definition of internationalization or international entrepreneurship...
remain to be the primary objectives of the media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
enterprise.
Business Units
Book Publishing- HOFFMANN UND CAMPE
- HOFFMANN UND CAMPE Corporate Publishing
- DEUTSCHER TASCHENBUCH VERLAG (dtv)
- GRÄFE UND UNZER
- TEUBNER
- HALLWAG
- GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS
- TRAVEL HOUSE MEDIA
- MERIAN Live!
- GUIDE MICHELIN
Magazine Publishing (Jahreszeiten Verlag)
- FÜR SIE
- PETRA
- VITAL
- DER FEINSCHMECKER
- WEIN GOURMET
- MERIAN
- A&W Architektur & Wohnen
- COUNTRY
- ZUHAUSE WOHNEN
- SELBER MACHEN
- PRINZ
Electronic Publishing
- iPUBLISH
- MERIAN scout (navigation software)
- Kartographie
- Travel and Event Databases
Distribution / Retail / Hotel
- LESERKREIS DAHEIM
- PRESSE SERVICE GESELLSCHAFT
- WERBE MERKUR
- RHENANIA BUCHVERSAND
- AKZENTE VERSANDBUCHHANDLUNG
- Mail:Order:Kaiser
- FRÖLICH UND KAUFMANN Art Books
- HOTEL HOHENHAUS (a Relais & ChateauxRelais & ChateauxRelais & Châteaux is a global fellowship of individually owned and operated luxury hotels and restaurants. Although the total number or members changes as members are added and others drop away, the group currently has some 500 members in 60 countries on five continents. Strongly represented in...
member)