{{Short description|Danish publishing company}} {{About|the publishing company|the financial intelligence organisation|Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units}} {{More citations needed|date=May 2023}} {{Infobox company | name = Egmont International Holding A/S | logo = [[File:Egmont Group logo.svg|frameless|class=skin-invert]] | former_names = P. Petersen, Printers (1878–1914)<br />Gutenberghus Group (1914–1992) | type = [[Private company|Private]]| | industry = [[Media conglomerate|Media group]] | fate = | founded = {{start date and age|1878}}<br />[[Copenhagen]], Denmark | founder = {{ill|Egmont H. Petersen|da}} | defunct = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | hq_location_city = [[Copenhagen]] | hq_location_country = Denmark | area_served = <!-- or: | areas_served = --> | key_people = Steffen Kragh (President & [[CEO]])<br>[[Steen Riisgaard]] (Chairman) | products = [[Book]]s, [[Magazine]]s, [[Film]], [[film|Cinema]]s, [[Interactive media]], [[Television]] | owner = <!-- or: | owners = --> | revenue = {{increase}} [[Euro|€]]2,073 million<ref name="AR2021">{{cite web|url=https://www.egmont.com/sites/default/files/2022-03/EGT%20Annual%20Report%202021.pdf|title=Egmont Group 2021 Annual Report|publisher=Egmont|access-date=10 July 2022|page=4|archive-date=20 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230920094204/https://www.egmont.com/sites/default/files/2022-03/EGT%20Annual%20Report%202021.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> | revenue_year = 2021 | operating_income = {{increase}} €256 million<ref name="AR2021"/> | income_year = 2021 | net_income = {{increase}} €224 million<ref name="AR2021"/> | net_income_year = 2021 | assets = {{increase}} €2,500 million<ref name="AR2021"/> | assets_year = 2021 | equity = {{increase}} €1,098 million<ref name="AR2021"/> | equity_year = 2021 | num_employees = 5,376<ref name="AR2021"/> | num_employees_year = 2021 | parent = | divisions = See {{section link||Egmont divisions}} | website = {{URL|www.egmont.com}} }}
[[File:The Egmont clock, Copenhagen, Denmark.jpeg|thumb|The Egmont clock, Copenhagen, Vognmagergade]] The '''Egmont Group''' (officially '''Egmont International Holding A/S'''; known as '''Gutenberghus Group''' until 1992) is a Danish [[Mass media|media]] [[corporation]] founded and rooted in [[Copenhagen]], Denmark. The business area of Egmont has traditionally been magazine publishing, but has over the years evolved to comprise [[mass media]] generally.
==History== The Egmont Group was founded by Egmont Harald Petersen in 1878,<ref>{{cite web|author=Eva Harrie|title=The Nordic Media Market|url=http://www.nordicom.gu.se/sites/default/files/publikationer-hela-pdf/nmt09_001-194.pdf|work=Nordicom, University of Gothenburg|access-date=10 December 2014|location=Göteborg|date=2009}}</ref> as a one-man printing business, but soon became a magazine business. It was originally called "P. Petersen, Printers", named after Petersen's mother, as he was still too young at the time to register his own company. The company was renamed ''Gutenberghus'' in 1914 (after the famous inventor of the printing press), a name it kept until 1992.
In 1948, Gutenberghus, looking for new opportunities, sent its editor [[Dan Folke]] to [[Walt Disney Productions]], and he managed to acquire a license for publishing comic magazines in Scandinavia. In 1948, the company started to publish a [[Donald Duck]] [[Comic book|comic magazine]] in [[Sweden]] (as ''[[Kalle Anka & C:o]]'') and [[Norway]] (as ''Donald Duck & C:o''), in 1949 also in [[Denmark]] (as ''Anders And & C:o''). This magazine features all the well known Disney characters, from [[Mickey Mouse]] to [[Little Hiawatha]] under license from [[Disney]].
With the acquisition in 1963, of the Danish publisher [[Aschehoug (Egmont)|Aschehoug]], Egmont also entered the book market. From the late 1980s the Egmont Group used the close connection with Disney to expand their Scandinavian focus to a global focus, being the producer of Disney for the new Eastern European market, as well as for the Chinese market. In 1991, Egmont was co-founder of the [[Norway|Norwegian]] [[television channel]] [[TV 2 (Norway)|TV 2]], before buying it outright in 2012.
In 1992, Egmont bought [[Nordisk Film]]. In 1997, Egmont acquired [[Semic Press]]. In 1998, Egmont acquired the children's book catalogue of [[Reed Elsevier]].<ref name="History of the Egmont Imprints">{{cite web|url=https://archive.penguinrandomhouse.co.uk/History%20of%20the%20Egmont%20Imprints%20-%20Opac%20version.htm|title=History of the Egmont Imprints|publisher=Penguin Random House|access-date=21 October 2018}}</ref> In 2008, they acquired the minority stake in magazine publisher Hjemmet Mortensen which they did not already hold, from [[Orkla ASA]].<ref>"Orkla ASA sells its stake in magazine publisher Hjemmet Mortensen AS to Denmark's Egmont" ''Nordic Business Report'' 27 June 2008</ref>
In September 1999, Egmont Group entered a joint venture with Munich-based German production & distribution company [[Sport1 Medien|EM.TV & Merchandising]] to launch a publishing subsidiary that could bring EM.TV's productions under one roof named Junior.Publishing.<ref>{{cite web|title=Egmont to publish EM.TV’s Junior library|url=https://kidscreen.com/1999/09/01/26548-19990901/|website=Kidscreen|date=September 9, 1999}}</ref> Egmont Group would later acquire the remaining 50% of the joint-venture children's publishing company Junior.Publishing two years later in November 2001 when EM.TV announced their exiting of the publishing business in order for them to focus on their core entertainment business giving Egmont full control of Junior.Publishing having it renamed to Egmont Publishing.<ref>{{cite web|title=Junior Publishing bites the dust|url=https://www.c21media.net/news/junior-publishing-bites-the-dust/|website=C21Media|date=November 11, 2001}}</ref>
Egmont has a number of local country branches: Australia, Bulgaria (Egmont Bulgaria), China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany ([[Egmont Ehapa]]), Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and United Kingdom.
Egmont is one of Scandinavia's leading media groups producing weeklies, magazines, comics, books, educational materials, activity products, movies and TV programs. The media group also operates movie theatres and TV stations, and the Egmont name is behind interactive games, game consoles, music and a wide range of digital media. Egmont publishes media in more than 30 countries, has over 5,300 employees and generated revenue amounting to over €2 billion in 2021.<ref name=AR2021 />
By August 2002, Egmont Group entered a major restructure and had its entertainment distribution division Egmont Entertainment merged into its film & television production company [[Nordisk Film]] with former Egmont Entertainment header Kenneth Plummer became Nordisk Film's new managing director with Nordisk Film will handle all of Egmont's film & television production activities as Soren E. Jakobsen stepped down as film chief of the latter but would continued to work Egmont's television interests.<ref>{{cite web|title=Restructured Nordisk Film aims for former glory|url=https://www.screendaily.com/restructured-nordisk-film-aims-for-former-glory/4010214.article|website=Screen Daily|first=Jacob|last=Neiiendam|date=August 20, 2002}}</ref> Six days later following the restructure and merger of Egmont Group's entertainment division Egmont Entertainment with their film & television production and distribution company Egmont Group shuttered their animation international production arm Egmont Imagination and had most of Egmont Imagination's projects being absorbed into Egmont's multimedia entertainment, film & television production and distribution company [[Nordisk Film]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Egmont ani arm gets tooned out|url=https://variety.com/2002/film/markets-festivals/egmont-ani-arm-gets-tooned-out-1117871877/|website=Variety|first=Marlene|last=Edmunds|date=August 26, 2002}}</ref> The following year in March 2003, Dutch production & distribution company [[Telescreen (company)|Telescreen]] alongside its parent [[Zodiak Media|Palm Plus Multimedia]] acquired the Egmont Imagination catalogue outside the Nordic regions from Egmont Group with Telescreen distributing the Egmont Imagination library internationally except the Nordic regions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dutch Telescreen/PPM Nabs Egmont Imagination's Catalog|url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/2003/03/dutch-telescreenppm-nabs-egmont-imaginations-catalog/|website=Animation Magazine|first=Ryal|last=Ball|date=March 10, 2003}}</ref>
Egmont acquired Forma Publishing Group in October 2014.<ref>{{cite news|title=Danish media group Egmont completes acquisition of Forma Publishing Group|url=http://www.talkingnewmedia.com/2014/10/03/danish-media-group-egmont-completes-acquisition-of-forma-publishing-group/|access-date=29 April 2015|work=Talking New Media|date=3 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328235653/http://www.talkingnewmedia.com/2014/10/03/danish-media-group-egmont-completes-acquisition-of-forma-publishing-group/ |archive-date= Mar 28, 2016 }}</ref> In January 2015, the company shut down its American publishing division.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.egmont.com/int/Press/news-and-press-releases/Egmont-Publishing-closes-US-business/|title=Egmont Publishing closes US business|work=Egmont |date=January 21, 2015 |access-date=7 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212080213/http://www.egmont.com/int/Press/news-and-press-releases/Egmont-Publishing-closes-US-business/|archive-date=12 February 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
On 1 May 2020, Egmont completed the sale of three of its publishers (Egmont Books UK, Egmont Poland, and Schneiderbuch Germany) to [[HarperCollins]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chandler |first=Mark |date=May 1, 2020 |title=HarperCollins completes Egmont acquisition |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/harpercollins-completes-egmont-acquisition-1201871 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709184309/https://www.thebookseller.com/news/harpercollins-completes-egmont-acquisition-1201871 |archive-date=Jul 9, 2023 |website=The Bookseller}}</ref>
==Group management== * Steffen Kragh – President and [[CEO]] * Hans J. Carstensen – [[CFO]] * Torsten Bjerre Rasmussen – Executive Vice President, Egmont and CEO for Egmont Publishing * Allan Mathson Hansen – Executive Vice President, Egmont and President for Egmont Nordisk Film * Olav T. Sandnes – CEO and Chief Editor of TV 2 in Norway
==Egmont divisions== * Story House Egmont * Egmont Books * [[Nordisk Film]] * [[TV 2 Group]]
== Egmont UK / Farshore == Egmont UK publishes books and magazines for children in the [[United Kingdom]]. It is the largest dedicated children's publisher in the UK. The Head Office is in London. In May 2020, the books division of Egmont UK was sold to [[HarperCollins]]. The new imprint changed its name to Farshore in February 2021.
===Egmont Books===
In 1998, [[RELX|Reed Elsevier]] sold [[Dean & Son]], [[World Distributors]], and the children's divisions of [[Heinemann (publisher)|Heinemann]], [[Methuen Publishing|Methuen]], [[Hamlyn (publishers)|Hamlyn]] and Mammoth to the Egmont Group.<ref name="History of the Egmont Imprints"/><ref>{{Cite web| title = PW: Egmont Buys Reed Children's Books| work = Publishers Weekly |first1= Julia |last1=Eccleshare |date=May 11, 1998 | access-date = 2018-01-21| url = https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/19980511/28612-pw-egmont-buys-reed-children-s-books.html}}</ref>
Egmont UK's book list includes [[fiction]] novels, illustrated [[picture books]], pop-up and novelty books, [[fantasy]] adventures, annuals, colouring, activity and sticker books as well and Egmont's own ''Reading Ladder'' (for five- to nine-year-olds). Egmont also has a number of [[young adult fiction]] works, award-winners, classics and epic tales.
The '''Fiction''' list includes work from such award-winning authors as [[Andy Stanton]], [[Jim Smith (author)|Jim Smith]], [[Michael Morpurgo]], [[Lemony Snicket]], [[Jamila Gavin]] and [[David Levithan]]. '''Electric Monkey''' is Egmont's dedicated Young Adult imprint and authors published include [[Elizabeth Acevedo]], [[Michael Grant (author, born 1954)|Michael Grant]], [[Andrew A. Smith]], [[Tahereh Mafi]] and Holly Jackson.
The '''Picture Book''' list includes work from authors such as [[Julia Donaldson]], [[Kristina Stephenson]], [[Michael Morpurgo]] and [[John Dougherty (author)]]. Classic stories published by Egmont UK include [[The Velveteen Rabbit]], [[The Little Prince]] and [[The Wind in the Willows]]. Authors on the non-fiction '''Red Shed''' imprint include [[Chris Packham]] and [[Laura Coryton]].
Illustrators who are published by Egmont include [[Helen Oxenbury]], [[Shirley Hughes]], Jim Field, [[Rob Biddulph]], Steven Lenton, [[Alex T. Smith]] and Colin and Jacqui Hawkins.
The '''Brands & Licensing''' books list includes titles from the following brands: {{Div col|colwidth=18em}} *''[[Babar the Elephant|Babar]]'' *''[[Blue's Clues]]'' *''[[Disney Princess]]'' *''[[Dora the Explorer (TV series)|Dora the Explorer]]'' *''[[Even Stevens]]'' *''[[Fireman Sam]]'' *''[[Flying Rhino Junior High]]'' *''[[Franklin the Turtle (books)|Franklin]]'' *''[[Frozen (franchise)|Frozen]]'' *''[[In a Heartbeat (TV series)|In a Heartbeat]]'' *''[[The Jersey]]'' *''[[Life with Derek]]'' *''[[Lizzie McGuire]]'' *''[[Little People (toys)|Little People]]'' *''[[Mr. Men|Mr. Men & Little Miss]]'' *''[[Minecraft]]'' *''[[Mumble Bumble]]'' *''[[My Little Pony]]'' *''[[Naturally, Sadie]]'' *''[[The Paz Show|Paz the Penguin]]'' *''[[Pokémon]]'' *''[[Power Rangers]]'' *''[[Roblox]]'' *''[[Rubik's Cube]]'' *''[[Ryan's World]]'' *''[[Rupert Bear]]'' *''[[Something Special (TV series)]]'' *''[[Star Wars]]'' *''[[Teletubbies]]'' *''[[Thomas and Friends]]'' *''[[Toy Story]]'' *''[[Tracey McBean]]'' *''[[The Adventures of Tintin]]'' *''[[The Fairytaler]]'' *''[[Winnie-the-Pooh]]'' *''[[Wilbur (TV series)|Wilbur]]'' *''[[Willa's Wild Life]]'' {{div col end}}
Egmont offers a range of [[Personalised books|personalised books]] through their website.
The '''Dean''' imprint ([[Dean & Son]]) offers consumer-led, bespoke publishing direct to retailers.
===Egmont Magazines===
In 1991, Egmont purchased the [[Fleetway]] arm of [[IPC Media]] in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] from a company owned by [[Robert Maxwell]], and merged it with their existing comics publishing division, London Editions, and thus became Britain's largest comic book publisher. The resultant company, Fleetway Editions, was absorbed into the main Egmont brand by 2000, having largely divested itself of its original portfolio (such as ''[[2000 AD (comics)|2000 AD]]'') and continued with only reprint and licensed material titles (e.g. ''[[Sonic The Comic]]''). The [[Fleetway]] archive comprises those comics characters first published by [[IPC Media|IPC]] subsidiaries on or after 1 January 1970, together with 26 specifically named characters first published in [[Buster (comics)|Buster]] before that date.<ref>{{cite news |title=Speaking Frankly... |author=Frank Birch |url=http://blogs.birminghammail.net/speechballoon/2008/12/speaking-frankly.html |newspaper=[[Birmingham Mail]] |date=14 December 2008 |access-date=15 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720075859/http://blogs.birminghammail.net/speechballoon/2008/12/speaking-frankly.html |archive-date=20 July 2011 }}</ref> In August 2016, The IPC/Fleetway library was sold to [[Rebellion Developments]], who had previously acquired 2000 AD.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bunge|first1=Nicole|title=REBELLION ACQUIRES FLEETWAY AND IPC YOUTH GROUP ARCHIVES|url=http://icv2.com/articles/news/view/35362/rebellion-acquires-fleetway-ipc-youth-group-archives|website=ICv2|access-date=4 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Johnston|first1=Rich|title=Rebellion Buys Fleetway Archive – Roy Of The Rovers, Oink, Tammy, Battle, Whizzer And Chips And More|url=http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/08/25/rebellion-buys-fleetway-archive-roy-of-the-rovers-oink-tammy-battle-whizzer-and-chips-and-more/|website=Bleeding Cool|date=25 August 2016|access-date=4 November 2016}}</ref>
Egmont Magazines currently publish titles including ''[[Toxic (magazine)|Toxic]]'', ''[[Thomas & Friends]]'', ''[[Disney Princess]]'', ''[[Frozen (franchise)|Frozen]]'', ''[[Minecraft]]'', and ''Go Girl''.
==Egmont Foundation== Egmont has a charitable wing. The founder's last will and testament paved the way for Egmont's charitable work to support social, cultural and scientific causes. As a foundation, Egmont helps improve children's and young people's quality of life, donating more than 235 million Euros to social, cultural and health projects since 1920.{{cn|date=May 2023}}
== See also == * [[Fleetway Publications]] * [[List of UK children's book publishers]]
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == {{Commons category|Egmont Group}} * [http://www.egmont.com Egmont Group]
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Publishing companies established in 1878]] [[Category:Mass media companies of Denmark]] [[Category:Magazine publishing companies of Denmark]] [[Category:Book publishing companies of Denmark]] [[Category:Comic book publishing companies of Denmark]] [[Category:Mass media companies based in Copenhagen]] [[Category:Danish companies established in 1878]] [[Category:Disney comics publishers]] [[Category:Companies based in Copenhagen Municipality]]