Burda group

This profile considers the German Hubert Burda publishing group.

It covers -

• introduction
• the group
• imprints
• studies
• chronology

Introduction

Munich-based Burda is active in publishing, printing, new media, radio, television production and direct marketing.

It publishes some 235 publications worldwide (64 in Germany). In 2002 group turnover was 1.857 billion euros, up from around DM2.07 billion in 1998. Burda has subsidiaries in France, Poland, Italy, Hungary, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Russia, Czech Republic, Turkey, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and US.

The Burda corporate site is here.

The group

Burda traces its origins to a printing operation founded by Franz Burda in 1898. The printery expanded into dressmaking patterns - becoming the dominant producer in Germany by 1933 - and magazines. It benefitted from aryanisation in the late 1930s, acquiring some competing printers. Business revived in 1945 when it was authorised to print schoolbooks and stamps in the French zone of occupied Germany. Franz Burda II and wife Aenne launched a succession of womens magazines and continued to expand the family's printing interests in competition with Bauer.

Their sons Franz, Frieder and Hubert acquired a substantial stake in competitor Axel Springer Verlag following the flotation of that group (moves by the ailing Axel Springer to transfer control to Hubert were blocked by the Cartel Office). Tensions within the family following the death of Franz II saw Franz III and Frieder Burda initially co-operate with the Springer family to contain Leo Kirch's influence - notably by denying him a seat on Springer's supervisory board - and then pool their 25.9% stake with Kirch's 26% before selling their shares to the Springers.

That sale was unsuccessfully challenged in court by Hubert Burda, who subsequently acquired his brothers' interests in most of the Burda group - now renamed Hubert Burda Verlag - for around DM350 million. Franz and Frieder gained attention for investment in paper and pulp manufacture (MD and Technocell), services (Pressegrossvertrieb, later sold to Valora) and an unsuccessful competitor to Lufthansa. Frieder is perhaps best known for establishment of a major contemporary art museum in Baden.

Hubert Burda has had indifferent success online, with closure of the Europe Online ISP (in partnership with Pearson, Springer and Hachette) in 1996 and later sale of its stake in the ambitious international Health Online Service (HOS) multimedica venture.

Imprints

The group is best known for publication of Focus, Bunte, Elle, Freundin, Das Haus, InStyle, Burda Modemagazin and Freizeit Revue.

Burda has emphasised international alliances - licensing and joint ventures - with groups such as News (eg the abortive Super!Zeitung tabloid in eastern Germany), Hachette (eg Elle), Hearst and RCS MediaGroup.

Titles include -

Germany

• Focus
• Bunte
• Elle
• Freundin
• Chip
• Das Haus
• InStyle
• Burda Modemagazin
• Freizeit Revue
• Ein Schöner Garten
• Meine Familie & Ich
• Anna
• Glücks-Revue
• Verena
• Superillu
• Super TV
• Schweriner Volkszeitung
• Norddeutschen Neuesten Nachrichten

Czech Republic (80% of joint venture with RCS MediaGroup)

• Neilepsy recepty
• Neilepsy recepty special
• Katka
• Nasa krasna zahrada
• Anna
• Betynka
• Burda
• Svet Zeny
• Bydlime s kvetinami
• Katka Krizovky
• Autohit
• Cinema
• Nasutulny byt

Hungary (joint venture)

• Csodakert

Croatia

• Lisa

Poland (80% of joint venture)

• Moj piekny Ogrod
• Moj piekny Ogrod Special
• Sol I Pieprz
• Magazine
• Burda
• Anna
• Twoj Relaks
• Dobre Rady
• Dobre Rady Recepty
• Kwiaty w domu
• Dobre Rady Kwiaty

Romania (80% of joint venture)

• Burda
• Despre Tine
• Ioana
• Secrete bucatariei
• Cool girl
• Locuinta mea
• Gradina lmea de vis plate

Serbia

• Lisa

Slovenia

• Cosmopolitan
• Lisa
• Magazine
• 100 000
• 80%
• Men’s health
• Playboy
• Avto Magazin
• Avto Magazin/Moto Katalog
• Nova
• Connect

Studies

There are no major English-language studies of the group or Burda family. Works in German include Die Burdas (Hamburg: 2002) by Peter Köpf

Chronology

1903 launch of Philippsburger Zeitung

1927 launch of radio magazine Der SÜRAG

1938 acquires Bauer Bros printing operation in Mannheim during aryanisation

1942 Der SÜRAG ceases

1945 Burda begins printing schoolbooks and stamps in French zone of Germany

1948 launches Das Ufer (predecessor of Bunte magazine)

1949 revival of der SÜRAG (later rebadged as Bild+Funk)

1949 launch of Das Haus

1949 establishment of Verlag Aenne Burda (VAB)

1950 launch of Burda Moden

1960 launch of Münchner Illustrierte

1962 launch of Freundin magazine

1969 forms Meredith/Burda printing partnership with Meredith in US

1970 launch of Freizeit Revue

1972 opening of printing facility in US

1972 acquisition of Ein Schöner Garten and Meine Familie & Ich

1974 launch of Anna magazine

1986 launch of Glücks-Revue

1986 launch of Verena

1988 joint venture with Hachette to publish German version of Elle magazine

1990 joint venture with Gong Verlag launches Superillu and Super TV

1991 acquires Schweriner Volkszeitung and Norddeutschen Neuesten Nachrichten in Rostock

1991 launches Super!Zeitung in partnership with News

1992 Super!Zeitung closed

1993 launch of Focus magazine

1993 buys Gong's stake in Superillu

1994 launch of Lisa magazine

1995 forms alliance with RCS, taking stake in RCS Periodici (eg Oggi, Amica and Il Mondo)

1995 forms Europe Online online service with Pearson, Hachette, Axel Springer and Meigher Communications

1996 reduces stake in Europe Online after service files for bankruptcy

1997 launch of Lisa Kochen & Backen

1997 sells majority stake in loss-making CD-ROM publisher Navigo Multimedia to Holtzbrinck

1998 launches Health Online Service (HOS) multimedica with Bertelsmann

1998 Burda and Rizzoli take stake in Turkish magazine publisher Huerguec

1998 launch of Neue Woche and Lisa Wohnen & Dekorieren

1999 launch of Viel Spass and Lisa Blumen & Pflanzen

1999 sells stake in HOS multimedica and LIFELINE to Bertelsmann

1999 launch of German edition of Time's In Style

2000 launch of Wellfit

2000 takes stake in justbooks.de

2001 justbooks.de acquired by abebooks.com

2004 RCS and Burda announce unwinding of joint ventures

2004 Burda buys Journal für die Frau from Axel Springer