Educational services publisher Kaplan Test Prep has acquired the test prep, study aid, and foreign language assets of Barron’s Educational Series, in addition to purchasing the Barron’s brand name. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The purchase gives Kaplan about 650 titles in the test preparation and study resources areas. Barron’s list of educational titles is expected to receive a boost from Kaplan’s expertise in digital product development, content and learning management systems and from its global distribution reach. Some of the Barron's employees are expect to join Kaplan, which had sales of $273 million in 2017.
Barron’s founder and CEO Manuel Barron, said “Kaplan has also been a strong innovator in delivering educational programs and products, and I’m thrilled that Kaplan will be powering the future of the Barron’s brand to new generations of students.”
Barron's is retaining about 1,350 trade titles. Although it got its start publishing prep material for the New York State Regents exams, over the years Barron’s has expanded its publishing to include children’s books, cookbooks, pet care manuals, parenting works, and hobby crafts.Going forward, the trade list will be published under a new trade name, B.E.S. Publishing, with Manuel Barron continuing as CEO and the company staying in its Hauppage, N.Y. location.
