Cooperation on daily newspaper distribution

PRESS RELEASE
Cooperation on daily newspaper distribution
De Persgroep Nederland BV (Persgroep), NDC Mediagroep BV (NDC), Telegraaf Media
Groep NV (TMG) and Koninklijke Wegener NV (Wegener) have signed a letter of intent
to implement a co-operative distribution model for daily morning newspapers to
subscribers and single copy sales points.
The cooperation aims to lower the distribution costs of the daily newspapers in question
while maintaining delivery quality. The letter of intent also includes the aim to grow, within
a number of years, into a joint delivery organisation. In this way parties also respond to
the call of the “Temporary Committee (“Brinkman”) Innovation and Future of the Press” to
establish one distribution network for all dailies in The Netherlands.
With this possible joint delivery organisation parties expect to maintain newspaper daily
delivery to every home in the Netherlands for years to come. Also, daily newspapers of
non-cooperating publishing houses will profit.
The letter of intent states that the parties agree in principle about joint daily newspaper
distribution of de Persgroep, on the one hand, and the parties that are already cooperating (TMG, Wegener and NDC) on the other. It is the intention to develop, during
the course of this year, a mutually agreed distribution model.
Delivery quality will be guaranteed by phasing in cooperation, with the intention of
starting joint delivery in the first regions as of September 2012. Integration of the
networks is expected to be completed around year-end 2013.
Customer contacts in relation to subscriptions, singly copy sales points and publishers
will continue to be organised as they are now; the new distribution model will not affect
this.
In the short term, the parties will request the advice of the respective works councils on
this proposed decision. Staff members, trade unions, the Social and Economic Council
and the Dutch Competition Authority have been informed of the parties’ intention.
Leeuwarden, Amsterdam, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, 17 April 2012
Management Board de Persgroep Nederland BV
Management Board NDC Mediagroep BV
Management Board Telegraaf Media Groep NV
Executive Board Koninklijke Wegener NV
Not for publication:
Inquiries:
Han van den Berg (Wegener)
+31 55 538 87 43
+31 6 51 54 28 56
[email protected]