IRL (Imprimeries Réunies Lausanne SA) joins up with Swiss Printers AG

30.05.2006, The Edipresse Group has decided to enter into partnership with the Ringier and NZZ press groups in the context of commercial printing operations by becoming a shareholder of "Swiss Printers", the largest group of printing plants in Switzerland.

IRL SA, based in Renens and currently held 100% by Edipresse, is the largest commercial printing plant in French-speaking Switzerland with 230 employees and several hundred clients. It prints the magazines Femina, Bilan and Télé Top Matin as well as a large number of prestigious catalogues for luxury market firms. Historically, IRL has always been noted for its professionalism and the quality of its production, as shown for example by the legendary Editions Skira art publications.

Swiss Printers AG was founded in 2004 by the Ringier and NZZ groups. With a work force of more than 1,100 employees and turnover above 300 million francs, it comprises the printing companies Ringier Print AG in Zofingen, Zollikofer AG in St. Gallen, NZZ Fretz AG in Schlieren and Zürcher Druck+Verlag AG in Rotkreuz.

IRL SA will join this structure, contributing turnover of more than 50 million francs and an opening into the entire Swiss market. Edipresse SA will hold 16% of Swiss Printers AG, Ringier Print Holding 58.8% and the NZZ group 25.2%. Finalization of the operation is still subject to formal approval by the Competition Commission.

The initial effects of the consolidation of IRL with Swiss Printers will be seen in improved machine capacity utilization and new customer acquisition: for example, the printing of a Ringier weekly will be transferred to Renens in the future. The partnership will not give rise to any job losses or particular restructuring measures at IRL, where management will continue to operate in the new structure with the complete trust of all the company's shareholders.

The Edipresse newspaper printing centres in Bussigny and Vernier are unaffected by this transaction.

Commercial printing plants operate in a particularly competitive environment that requires regular large investments in order to maintain competitiveness, performance levels and technical quality. IRL's entry into a printing group with common objectives will allow it to maximize synergies with regard to both investments and markets, and is the best possible opportunity for maintaining a strong commercial printing presence in French-speaking Switzerland as well as preserving employment in the sector.

Like the other partners of Swiss Printers, IRL will continue to present itself independently to the market, providing under its own name the services that have proved their worth and made its reputation. However, so as to serve client needs better, its range of offerings will be enlarged thanks to the greater possibilities made available with the presence of five impressively equipped and complementary production sites.

Tibère Adler General Manager

Michel Berney Services & Printing Director

Attachment: projected organisational chart for the Swiss Printers Group

Further information:

Michel Berney Services & Printing Director Edipresse Switzerland tel. +41 21 349 45 62

Michel Horwath Edipresse Group Communications Manager tel. +41 21 349 45 07

Über Edipresse Services SA:

Edipresse is a multilingual and multicultural international Publishing house. It operates in the areas of newspaper and magazine publishing, printing and multimedia. The Edipresse Group is active in Switzerland, where the company is registered, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Greece and several countries in Asia. It publishes over 150 titles and has more than 3,500 employees, of whom about 1,700 are based in Switzerland. It strives to ensure that its expansion takes place in a controlled and coherent fashion. Its strategy is fundamentally based on the written word and on three simple principles.

The first of these is to concentrate resources, both human and financial, on the activities and the countries where the company can achieve significant market share.

The second principle expresses the corporate desire to publish quality titles, which clearly meet the needs of both readers and advertisers.

The third principle concerns the special responsibilities involved in the publishing profession.

NEWSPAPERS Switzerland - 24 heures Daily - Aux Trouvailles Classifieds - Genève home informations Free Weekly - Journal de Morges Biweekly - La Broye Weekly - Lausanne-Cités Free Weekly - Le Matin Daily - Le Matin dimanche Weekly - Le Matin Bleu Daily - Le Temps Daily - Presse Hebdo nord vaudois Free Weekly - Presse Hebdo riviera chablais Free Weekly - Terre&Nature Weekly - Tribune de Genève Daily

MAGAZINES Switzerland - Bilan Business - Femina Women - télétop TV - Tendance Déco Home & Design - TVguide TV

ONLINE ACTIVITIES - 24heures.ch E-publishing - bilan.ch E-publishing - ecran.ch Online services - edicom.ch E-publishing - femina.ch E-publishing - homegate.ch B2B - infotecnet.com B2B - jobup.ch Online services - lematin.ch E-publishing - pointprod.ch Online services - swissdox.ch Online services - swissfriends.ch Online services - swissreseau.ch B2B - tdg.ch E-publishing - terrenature.ch E-publishing - zannonces.ch Online services

PRINT FACILITIES - CIEG-Genève - CIEL-Lausanne - I-Press - IRL

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