Luther advises Stollfuß Medien on sale of publishing business

The buyer, a German subsidiary of Éditions Lefebvre Sarrut S.A., will not only take over the Stollfuß trademark and the rights of use in respect of numerous specialist publications, but also the publishing house’s premises in Bonn and all employees working in the publishing business. The French publishing group is – in addition to the Federal Republic of Germany – a shareholder of juris, the leading online portal for legal information in Germany. Through the acquisition of Stollfuß Medien, it strengthens its position in the German market for titles published in the fields of law, business and, above all, tax: well-known titles such as Widmann/Mayer (commentary on transformation law), Gosch (commentary on the German Tax Code/Tax Court Code), the EFG magazine on tax court decisions and also the Stotax tax law portal will be transferred to the juris shareholder.

"Stollfuß Medien is a founding member of jurisAllianz, and we are delighted at Lefebvre Sarrut S.A.’s commitment, which is characterised by continuity and innovation. This is not only shown by the takeover of the name Stollfuß and the premises in Bonn by lease, but also by the fact that the employees working in the publishing business will continue to look after this product area", said Wolfgang Stollfuß, Managing Partner of Stollfuß Medien.

"By integrating the publishing business of Stollfuß Medien, juris can further strengthen its position in the competition among portals and has a good basis from which to advance the development of further products for tax advisors and compliance", said Sam van Oostrom, Managing Director of juris GmbH and of Lefebvre Sarrut Germany GmbH.

The closing of the takeover is subject to antitrust review. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

About the Stollfuß Medien Group

As a family-run company, Stollfuß Medien is a publishing house and premium provider of periodicals and specialist literature in the fields of tax and business law. In addition, Stollfuß Medien creates and distributes software solutions for accountants, but also more complex software for the tax advisory professions and tax departments of larger companies. Through the sale of its publishing business, Stollfuß Medien will be focusing on the further development of this growing business division.

For the partners of Stollfuß Medien, the decisive factor was Lefebvre Sarrut’s vital interest in ensuring the continuity and further development of the acquired publishing business, including, for example, the continued use of the Stollfuß trademark, and also the fact that Lefebvre Sarrut will strongly promote the further expansion in the online business as a major player, also through its significant shareholding in juris GmbH.

About Éditions Lefebvre Sarrut S.A.

Éditions Lefebvre Sarrut S.A. is a pan-European group of companies that operates in three business areas: specialist publishing in the fields of business, tax and accounting law, professional training, and software. The group is represented in eight European countries, has 2,600 employees and generates a turnover of EUR 500 million.

Éditions Lefebvre Sarrut is France’s leading legal and tax publisher and ranks among the top 4 worldwide. Through its subsidiary Lefebvre Sarrut GmbH and its shareholding in juris GmbH (which is short for “Juristisches Informationssystem für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland” and translates as “legal information system for the Federal Republic of Germany”), Éditions Lefebvre Sarrut is also active in Germany in the field of online services for specialist legal information.

On behalf of the Stollfuß Medien Group:

Luther, Corporate/M&A: Thomas Weidlich, LL.M. (Lead Partner), Dr Eberhard Vetter (Partner), Philipp Dietz, LL.M. (Partner), Falco Rohrberg, LL.M. (Associate)

Luther, IP & Copyright Law: Dr Markus Sengpiel (Partner), Daniel Lehmann (Senior Associate)

Luther, Real Estate: Michael Kunkel, LL.M. (Partner)

Luther, Antitrust Law: Dr Helmut Janssen, LL.M. (Partner)