The Havas Group, France's expanding publisher, has increased its stake in Spanish-language publishing through the acquisition of Argentine textbook publisher Aique, number three in its field in that country, with a turnover of some $10 million and a 10% share of the educational market. The purchase was made through an earlier Havas acquisition, Anaya, number one in Spain in school publishing. Havas management in Paris intends to run Aique with its present management.
The French company, which is definitely in a growth mode, sees the Aique buy as a step in the development of a Latin American network of school and reference publishers. Havas affiliate Larousse, Latin America's market leader in dictionaries, has long been active in Spain and Mexico, with editorial and sales subsidiaries in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Venezuela. Meanwhile, Anaya, headquartered in Madrid, is active in Argentina via trade paperback and college publisher Alianza, which operates distribution facilities throughout Latin America.
