VNU

Based in Haarlem (Netherlands) the Verenigde Nederlandse Uitgeverijen (VNU) group employs around 35 000 people worldwide, publishes approximately 250 titles (including puzzle booklets) with a total circulation of over 375 million copies per year, and includes the AC Nielsen audience measurement business. Overall it claims 180 trade magazines, 125 trade shows/events, 115 telephone directories and over 250 internet sites.

     the group

VNU publishes consumer magazines in the Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania.

VNU's US business publishing arm publishes trade magazines, provides online services and organizes trade shows and conferences. Titles are aimed at the entertainment, media, marketing, retail trade, groceries and beverage sectors, including Beverage World, Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter and Adweek. It is one of the largest organizers of trade shows in the United States, Argentinia and Brazil. Its European business publishing arm includes computer magazines (eg the trade magazines of CMP in the United Kingdom and France, and Ziff Davis Media's IT magazines), trade magazines and trade shows.

It is one of the largest EU telephone and company directory publishers, with a market share of over 90% in Belgium, Portugal, Ireland, Puerto Rico and South Africa and over 50% in the Netherlands.

VNU's acquisition of ACNielsen has been promoted as providing "global leadership in market research" regarding retailing and media audiences, including online use. In the EU it offers 'lifestyle' and other marketing information through its Claritas arm. Its ORG-MARG arm is attempting to build a similar presence in Asia.

     history

VNU was founded in 1964 through the merger of two Dutch publishing companies. In the 1960’s, the group was centred on publishing, printing and distributing consumer magazines, newspapers and books in the Netherlands and Belgium. During the 1970’s it moved into trade magazines and sought to build a presence as a supplier of professional information services. In the 1980’s that activity was strengthened by expansion into other European countries and the United States.

Book publication was discontinued at that time and printing operations were sold during the early 1990s. Most growth occurred by acquisition in the US. In the late 1990s VNU began publishing telephone directories. In 1999 it acquired Nielsen Media Research. A year later it disposed of its newspaper arm and bought the Miller Freeman USA trade shows and business magazine group.

At the end of 2000 VNU announced the sale of its Consumer Information and Educational Information activities: its consumer magazines were sold to Finnish publishing group Sanoma WSOY in late 2001 for E1.25 billion. At the beginning of 2001 VNU took over ACNielsen Corporation.

     holdings

An indication of VNU holdings is here.

     studies

There are no major English-language studies of the group.







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