Munich , 8.10.2007
 
Burda Acquires Remaining Parts of CHIP and CHIP Xonio
Expanding Market Position in Consumer Technology Segment

As part of its strategic concentration on digital growth markets, Hubert Burda Media is further expanding its position in the consumer technology market. Pending approval by the Federal Anti-Trust Office, the media group plans to acquire the remaining 50 percent of the Vogel Burda Group, Munich (CHIP, CHIP Xonio, among others) within the year from the Vogel Medien company in Würzburg. By agreement, the purchase price is to remain confidential. Hubert Burda Media will then have exclusive control of business strategy and brand leadership.

When the acquisition is complete, Hubert Burda Media will own a leading consumer technology community, which, with its big-name print and online brands and robust transaction services business, maintains an international cross-media presence and generates a business volume of roughly 200 million euros. In addition to media division earnings of about 50 million euros, the two independently operating mail-order companies cyberport and computeruniverse.net bring in about 150 million euros combined. As part of Burda Digital Ventures, these businesses are majority-owned by Hubert Burda Media and are among the leading European online stores for hardware, software, and consumer electronics. "We invested very early in this sector and plan to expand our strong market position," states Chief executive Dr. Paul-Bernhard Kallen. With Europe’s leading innovation conference "Digital Life Design" (DLD), Hubert Burda Media also has a leading international communications platform that links its brand philosophy with the global digital community.

The joint venture of the Vogel Burda Group has been in business since the year 2000. The company publishes over 50 publications in 17 countries. CHIP is one of the leading international computer magazines, with a circulation of roughly 1.2 million copies sold worldwide. CHIP Xonio Online (CXO) operates and markets the computer portal CHIP Online (www.chip.de) and the mobile phone portal Xonio (www.xonio.com). According to both AGOF and IVW, CXO is the leading German media company on the Internet for customer counseling in the field of the converging markets of IT and mobile telephony. The magazine Tomorrow from the Berlin publisher Super Verlag is the perfect complement to Hubert Burda Media’s print portfolio. This in addition to the successful operations that the direct marketers Burda Direct, Burda Digital, and Tomorrow Focus AG enjoy in the field of consumer technology.

For further information, contact:
Nikolaus von der Decken
Company Spokesman
phone: 089 9250 3422
Decken@burda.com

Download information available at: www.hubert-burda-media.de/presse/