BC Partners to acquire Springer Science + Business Media
Hamburg, 19. June 2013 – Funds advised by BC Partners (“BC Partners”), the European private equity firm, together with management have agreed to acquire the leading global STM publisher Springer Science + Business Media (“Springer” or the “Company”), from EQT Partners and the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (“GICIC”) for approximately EUR 3.3 billion including performance components.
Springer is a prestigious global STM publisher based in Berlin with representation on six continents. The Company delivers high-quality scientific, professional and academic media content through its innovative products and services across several platforms. Springer publishes approximately 2,200 English-language journals annually and produced nearly 8,000 new book titles in 2012 in diverse fields including science, technology, medicine, commerce and transport. The Company is also a leader in publishing online journals, e-books, professional services materials and open access publishing. Springer has more than 7,000 employees and reported sales of €981 million in 2012.
BC Partners plans to support the continued growth of Springer globally by further expanding its core subscription business as well as focusing on traditionally high-growth areas such as open access publishing and emerging markets. Springer aims to be the prime publishing house for researchers in all disciplines. EQT Partners and GICIC will remain invested as minority shareholders in the business, which will support continuity and stability.
Ewald Walgenbach, Managing Partner at BC Partners, said: "Springer Science + Business Media is a well-established company in a growing sector and has excellent future prospects. The company has been one of the most innovative in its field in terms of developing new ways to distribute and access high quality publications. Its international footprint offers attractive opportunities and it is positioned to benefit from the growth of the knowledge economy worldwide. We look forward to partnering with management to support the company’s growth plans over the coming years.'
Derk Haank, CEO of Springer Science + Business Media, said: "We share a vision with BC Partners for the future of Springer and believe the new investment will add significant value to our business and its continued growth prospects. My colleagues on Springer’s management team and I are looking forward to working closely with our new partners to combine our expertise to facilitate continued growth over the years ahead."
BC Partners was advised by Credit Suisse, Nomura, UBS and Jefferies. Legal advice was provided by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.
About BC Partners
BC Partners is a leading private equity firm with advised funds of €12.6 billion ($16.4 billion). Established in 1986, BC Partners has played an active role in developing the European buy-out market for 25 years. BC Partners executives operate as an integrated team through the firm’s offices in Europe and North America, acquiring and developing businesses to create value in partnership with management. Since inception, BC Partners has completed 81 investments in companies with a total enterprise value of €83 billion. The acquisition of Springer Science is the sixth announced investment from BC Partners’ ninth fund which held its final closing on €6.7 billion in February 2012.