Hugendubel Acquires eBook.de, Expands Digital Market Presence

6. May 2015

Estimated reading time: 1:56 min.

Development in the German eBook market: eBook.de will operate under the umbrella of Hugendubel in the future. Germany’s largest family-owned bookstore will acquire the majority of eBook.de as of July 1, 2015. The entire team of the former Libri subsidiary will also be taken over, with Libri focusing on its role as a technology and logistics partner going forward, according to the press release.

For customers of eBook.de, nothing is set to change at first, as the brand will continue to exist. In the medium term, the biggest change in the deal is likely to be found in Hugendubel.de’s offering, as eBook.de will also manage Hugendubel’s online offerings in the future. Until now, this role was held by Weltbild subsidiary Buecher.de.

This means Hugendubel and Weltbild will only work together at the eBook wholesaler Tolino-Media (formerly Pubbles), which, following Thalia’s entry, is owned one-third by Thalia and Bertelsmann, and one-sixth each by Weltbild and Hugendubel.

Hugendubel’s digital consumer business in its own hands

From an observer’s perspective, Hugendubel’s further detachment from Weltbild’s business is only logical. In 2014, the company was caught off guard by Weltbild’s insolvency and had to take the necessary steps in the following months to escape the downward spiral. This ultimately succeeded with the removal of Weltbild from DBH. According to its own statement, the digital business also helped Hugendubel survive the crisis (“I don’t believe we would have made it through the last three months without the Tolino,” it said in last year’s Börsenblatt interview).

Now Hugendubel is pushing forward with its independence and will have its entire digital consumer business under its own roof. With Libri’s entry into the Tolino alliance last year, eBook.de already operates a similar offering. Apart from the Tolino devices, the online retailer has also been utilizing the Tolino-Media range since then.

With eBook.de, Hugendubel has certainly secured a strong brand in the German eBook market. Since the transformation from Libri.de, the company, particularly in 2012, attracted many digital readers with the affordable offering of the then (and still) excellent Sony PRS-T2, securing a permanent place in the eBook market. The only remaining hurdle in the acquisition process is approval by the European Commission, which, due to the likely limited impact on the overall market, should be just a formality.