Westermann is a German publisher founded in 1838. Its imprints include Schroedel, Diesterweg, Schoeningh, Westermann, Winklers, Spectra, Logo, Advesco, Schubi, E. Dorner, Westermann Wien, Jugend & Volk, Arena Verlag, Westermann Lernspielverlage, Bildungsverlag EINS and Audio Media Verlag.
Westermann’s parent company is Medien Union GmbH, which has a stake in several large German regional newspapers including Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Stuttgarter Zeitung, Die Rheinpfalz, and the national daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung, as well as in a number of radio stations.
Medien Union was founded in 1947 and is the parent company of the regional daily Rheinpfalz, which was founded in September 1945 with help of the Allied Forces that occupied Germany after WW II, and is controlled today by the Schaub family (a 50.4% share through Dieter Schaub, son of founder Joseph Schaub), and the families of co-founders Arthur Lenk, Hans Wipprecht, and Xaver Resch.
Analysis & Key Developments
Financial
Westermann’s group revenues amounted to 299 million EUR in 2014, an increase of 3% from the previous year, which was estimated at 290 million EUR.
Digital
Diercke digital was launched in August 2015 alongside the print edition and online supplementary materials. The publication's maps can now be selected according to (among other options) their theme and level of differentiation. The level of detail is also adjustable.
BiBox was launched in February 2015 as a comprehensive platform for digital media in the classroom.
Also in February, Westermann launched its online tutoring platform kapiert.de, authored by the group’s imprints Westermann, Schroedel, Diesterweg, and Schöningh.
Westerman’s longtime CEO Hans-Dieter Moeller left the company in February 2014. Moeller was succeeded by Ralf Halfbrodt, who was previously the managing director of the newspaper division.
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