On July 1, 2015, Schwabe AG will acquire a majority shareholding in Zytglogge-Verlag, which will continue to operate as an independent public limited company under its existing name. Publishers Bettina Kaelin Ramseyer and Hugo Ramseyer will remain associated with Zytglogge-Verlag as minority shareholders and members of the Board of Directors; Thomas Gierl will become the new publishing director.
In August 2014, Bettina Kaelin Ramseyer and publishing house founder Hugo Ramseyer announced that they would like to retire from active publishing life on the 50th anniversary of Zytglogge-Verlag in 2015. The search was on for someone interested in taking over the business.From among the applicants, the two owners have now opted for Basel-based Druck- und Verlagshaus Schwabe AG, which celebrated its 525th anniversary last year."In this anniversary year, we are delighted to have found a successor in Schwabe that is in line with our company's philosophy and will ensure that Zytglogge remains an independent publishing house in Switzerland," said Hugo Ramseyer at the signing of the contract.
Thomas Gierl, who is a member of Schwabe AG's management and has been managing the company's fiction publishing house Johannes Petri since 2010, will take over as publishing director on July 1, 2015. Publishing distribution will continue to be handled by Balmer Bücherdienst AG, Einsiedeln, while sound carrier distribution will be handled by TBA AG, Glattbrugg.Thanks to the succession arrangement that has been made, a joint program (by Hugo Ramseyer and Thomas Gierl) can be prepared for spring 2015 even before the official handover of the business.
The agreement between the two publishing houses offers optimal conditions for a rich and mutually enriching program: on the one hand, Zytglogge with its distinguished range of literature, non-fiction and sound recordings on the topics of culture, politics, society, history, current affairs, music and the art of language; on the other hand, Schwabe-Verlag with its renowned specialist program in the humanities and cultural studies as well as selected fiction and non-fiction titles.
