Bertelsmann to Restructure Direct Group Unit

Reuters reports that Bertelsmann (parent company of Random House) plans to carve up its Direct-Group unit. Bertelsmann bosses will discuss the new structure of the division, which includes the group’s book club businesses and generates annual sales of some 2.7 billion euros ($3.7 billion), at a meeting on Wednesday, followed by a meeting by the supervisory board on Friday. Bertelsmann plans to present a new strategy for the whole company in mid-December, when the group’s top managers will gather for a two-day meeting in Berlin. Direct-Group unit head Ewald Walgenbach said last week he will leave the conglomerate by the end of the year to join private equity firm BC Partners.

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