The Klett Group is Germany’s leading private provider of educational and continued education services, with 56 subsidiaries at 34 locations in 14 countries. Klett offers traditional textbooks, digital interactive learning solutions, book for professional development, and fiction. Klett’s German and international schools and colleges have 185,000 students enrolled annually. The Klett publishers launched 2,825 new titles in 2104 and kept 44,135 titles in print. Some of the publishing companies which belong to the Klett Group are: Klett, ÖBV, Bange, AAP Lehrerfachverlage, Pons, Rokus Klett, Difusión, Klett und Balmer, Raabe, Klett-Cotta, Friedrich, Esslinger, Klett Kinderbuch, ILS, SGD, Euro-FH, and Klett Langenscheidt.
Analysis & Key Developments
Financial
The Klett Group increased sales by 10 million EUR in 2014 to 460 million EUR. Profit before taxes rose by 3 million EUR to 16 million EUR.
Klett’s educational publishers represent more than a half of corporate revenue at 53.4%. Adult and continuing education and on-site learning institutions generate 29.8%. The remainder comes from professional publications (12.3%) and general publications (3.4%).
Internal organization
Klett’s educational business grew due to acquisitions, new partnerships and reframing.
Klett expanded its on-site learning institutions in Berlin with the acquisition of Best Sabel GmbH at the beginning of 2015, adding further kindergartens and primary schools, as well as a secondary school a vocational academy.
Klett also purchased a 50% interest in Fröbel International, which runs day-care centers in Australia, Turkey and Poland.
To strengthen its position in the Southeast Europe, Klett acquired the educational publishers Profil and Novi Logos in Croatia and Serbia respectively at the beginning of 2015.
Klett’s specialist distance learning school operations became more international in 2014, as the higher education institution Wilhelm Büchner Hochschule tailored its English-language courses to foreign students.
Earlier Developments
Financial
Klett achieved a moderate growth of 450 million EUR in 2013 with a turnover of 0.7%, up from 447 million EUR in 2012. Profit before taxes was consistent with the previous year's level of 13 million EUR.
Educational publishing generated 52.8%, the largest share of corporate revenue. Despite the market’s stagnation, Klett’s imprints held their position. Adult and continuing education accounted for 29.2%, Professional Information was 12.4%, and trade covered 4.3% with an additional sales boost for the Klett-Cotta imprint after the film release of The Hobbit.
Demand for continued education through Klett's distance learning schools remains constant. Klett’s specialized distance learning schools recorded a further year of growth, with high demand for the group's schools, crèches and day-care centers.
Internal organization
In January 2014, Klett sold its children’s book publisher Esslinger to the Bonnier Group.
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