The merger of Wetzlardruck GmbH and Gießener Anzeiger Verlags GmbH, belonging to VRM Group, creates a publisher of daily newspapers with the largest circulation and turnover in Central Hessen. Gleiss Lutz advised VRM Holding GmbH & Co. KG from Mainz, one of the widest-reaching regional media companies in Germany, in connection with the stake in the new company. Apart from VRM Group, Schnitzler Verlags- und Kinne Beteiligungs-GmbH, headquartered in Wetzlar, also has an interest. With its stake VRM will expand its involvement in Central Hessen's media market while continuing to develop the structure of its supply over that area.
Mainz-based VRM reaches nearly one million readers in the Rhein-Main area with its 28 daily newspapers. Gießener Anzeiger Group alone achieves a daily reach of around 140,000 readers with its daily newspapers, additional advertising supplements for Central Hessen producing a weekly circulation of around 500,000 copies. VRM furthermore reaches around 1.6 million unique users and more than 485,000 social media users.
Newspaper group Lahn Dill/Wetzlardruck GmbH is the leading regional media company in the west of Hesse. The group produces various regional daily newspapers reaching nearly 180,000 readers. The newspaper group also produces two advertising newspapers, each having a circulation of 150,000 copies. The joint internet portal www.mittelhessen.de along with news app [m]-news provide the latest news on an ongoing basis. Together the portal and the app reach more than 350,000 unique users with over four million website clicks per month.
A Gleiss Lutz team headed by Dr. Detlef Bauer (partner, lead, corporate/M&A) and Dr. Wolfgang Bosch (partner, competition/antitrust, both Frankfurt) provided comprehensive advice in connection with the transaction.
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