Publigroupe: Swisscom on the verge of takeover
Nothing should stand in the way of Swisscom's takeover of Publigroupe. According to provisional figures, the telecoms group controls 90.59% of all Publigroupe shares after the expiry of the offer period.
Swisscom was offered 71.53% of the shares as part of the public offer. However, thanks to the agreement with Tamedia, Swisscom also has access to the shares of the media group. The definitive interim result will be announced on August 11, Swisscom announced. This will be followed by the extension period, which will last until August 25. The purchase of the shares and the takeover of Publigroupe are being carried out in accordance with Publigroupe's Board of Directors, which approved the Swisscom offer in July. Publigroupe, which after the sale of the advertising placement business Publicitas still consists of a stake in the internet platform Local.ch and various small companies, mostly active in marketing, is worth around CHF 475 million.
Swisscom and Tamedia are mainly interested in the Local.ch directory service, which is currently owned equally by Publigroupe and Swisscom. Following the purchase of Publigroupe, Swisscom intends to merge Local.ch with Tamedia's Search.ch directory service. Swisscom will play first fiddle in the new joint venture - it will hold 69 percent of the planned joint venture, while Tamedia will have to make do with 31 percent. Together, Local.ch and Search.ch are to become a Swiss alternative to Google. (SDA)
