Forma Publishing Group acquired by Egmont Publishing

Strong special interest magazine titles within the family and women segment

Forma Publishing Group was founded in 1945 and publishes the B2C titles Icakuriren, Hus & Hem, Hus & Hem Trädgård, Hälsa, Scandinavian Retro and Kryss & Knåp.

Icakuriren is Sweden’s largest weekly magazine, and is affiliated with ICA, Sweden’s leading food retail chain.

Forma Publishing Group had sales totalling SEK 242m in the period July 2013 – June 2014 and posted an operating profit excluding non-recurring items of SEK 16m for the twelve months’ period.

Active and offensive in the Swedish publishing market

Egmont Publishing in Sweden acquires Forma Publishing Group from ICA Gruppen for an undisclosed amount.

The acquisition makes Egmont Publishing the second largest publishing house in the Swedish market and strengthens their position within the family/women segment in particular.

The acquisition brings limited overlap: Egmont Publishing has a strong presence in magazines for children, youth and men, while Forma’s focus is on family and women, significantly benefiting Egmont Publishing’s portfolio.

Egmont Publishing is part of Egmont, a leading Nordic media group, with activities in 30 countries, 6,200 employees and revenue amounting to EUR 1.6bn.

GCA Altium acted as sole advisor to the buyer.

Related Transactions

GCA is a trade name for GCA Corporation and its subsidiaries and other affiliates which include:

• GCA Advisors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, registered broker-dealer and FINRA (www.finra.org) and SIPC member firm (www.sipc.org). GCA Advisors, LLC provides independent financial advice on matters related to Mergers & Acquisitions, Debt Capital Markets, Recapitalization & Restructuring, Cross Border and Strategic Alliances, Special Committees, Private Funds, Private Placements and Venture Support. Check the background of GCA Advisors, LLC on FINRA’s BrokerCheck (brokercheck.finra.org).
• GCA Altium Limited, a company providing financial advisory services in the UK, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Israel and incorporated under English law, is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom and provides independent financial advice on matters related to Mergers & Acquisitions, Debt Capital Markets, IPOs, Recapitalization & Restructuring, Cross Border and Private Placements.
• GCA Corporation, a company incorporated in Japan which provides financial advisory services on matters related to Mergers & Acquisitions, Cross Border, Private Placements & IPOs, Growth Strategy Services, and Post-Merger Integration.
• GCA China Company, Limited, a company incorporated in Shanghai which provides financial advisory services in China on matters related to Mergers & Acquisitions, Cross Border, Mezzanine Financing, Growth Strategy Services, Due Diligence and Post-Merger Integration.
• GCA India Company, Limited, a company incorporated in Mumbai which provides financial advisory services in India on matters related to Mergers & Acquisitions, Cross Border, Mezzanine Financing, Growth Strategy Services, Due Diligence and Post-Merger Integration.
• AMPLIA, a subsidiary of GCA Corporation in Japan, provides Venture Support services in Japan and the US.
• GCA FAS, a subsidiary of GCA Corporation in Japan, provides Due Diligence advisory services and M&A transaction services.
• MCo Corporation, a subsidiary of GCA Corporation in Japan, provides Mezzanine Financing in Japan.