At the beginning of the year, the European Mediahuis Group acquired 100% of the shares of Aachener Verlagsgesellschaft mbH (AVG) and is thus the new majority shareholder of Medienhaus Aachen GmbH, which publishes, among other things, the daily newspapers "Aachener Zeitung" and "Aachener Nachrichten" as well as the weekly newspaper "Zeitung am Sonntag".
The Mediahuis Group, which operates successfully in Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Luxembourg, acquired the AVG shares from the Ernst, Hofmann, and Maas families, who founded the "Aachener Zeitung" (then "Aachener Volkszeitung") after World War II. Today, the Mediahuis Group includes national media brands such as "De Standaard" (Brussels), "De Telegraaf," and "NRC" (both Amsterdam), as well as regional media outlets like "De Limburger" (Sittard/Dutch Limburg) and "Het Belang van Limburg" (Hasselt/Belgian Limburg). "De Limburger" and "Het Belang van Limburg" are published in close proximity to the "Aachener Zeitung" and "Aachener Nachrichten."
With its market entry into Germany, the Antwerp-based group Mediahuis underscores its ambition to grow in the European media sector. Leveraging its experience, Mediahuis aims to support the strong brands of the AVG Group, led by CEO Andreas Müller and his management team, in their digital transformation, thereby contributing to the preservation of independent, regional journalism in the Aachen-Düren-Heinsberg region.
Gert Ysebaert, CEO of the Mediahuis Group: “I am delighted that we have successfully completed the acquisition of Aachener Verlagsgesellschaft and warmly welcome our new German colleagues to the Mediahuis family. Together with them and the Aachen management team, we will develop the company successfully and sustainably into the future. Learning from each other and mutually strengthening one another will be the driving force behind our collaboration. Mediahuis has unwavering faith in the power of strong and independent journalism. The knowledge gathered by our existing and new employees, combined with the synergies that Mediahuis as a group can offer, will further strengthen the media brands of the Aachen media group in its digital transformation. I look forward to working with Andreas Müller and his team.”
Andreas Müller, CEO of Medienhaus Aachen: “Mediahuis’s investment marks the beginning of a new era for Medienhaus Aachen. In recent years, we have already looked to various Mediahuis brands, such as NRC, for guidance in developing future strategies for journalism. We are now delighted to be the first German media company to join the Mediahuis Group. The experience gained from the international Mediahuis network will help us to further develop our brands. The group-wide exchange will ensure that, with our strong regional identity and journalistic independence, we can continue to fulfill our constitutionally enshrined responsibility to our society. I am certain that the readers of our publications will benefit from this.”
The Aachen Media Group is the leading media group in the Aachen-Düren-Heinsberg region. Under its umbrella, the Aachen Media Group publishes the daily newspapers "Aachener Zeitung" and "Aachener Nachrichten," the weekly newspaper "Zeitung am Sonntag," and various regional magazines ("Klenkes," "PurRegio," "GastroGuide"). The group's portfolio also includes postal services ("Aachen-Düren-Heinsberg Letter and Parcel Service"), trade fairs and events ("Euregio Wirtschaftsschau"), and various investments (including stakes in the radio stations "Antenne AC" and "100.5 – Das Hitradio"). The group has an annual turnover of approximately 80 million euros and employs around 400 people (excluding delivery staff).
Since its founding in 2013, Mediahuis has built a diverse portfolio of news media and digital brands. In recent years, the group has made significant progress in the digital transformation of its news brands. Mediahuis is successfully implementing paywalls and digital subscription services on its news sites, driven by an optimal customer experience combined with strong and independent journalism. Mediahuis' national and regional news titles provide news to more than 10 million readers daily, both online and in print. The group employs approximately 4,300 people and generates annual revenue of more than €1 billion.
