Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A. today announced that an agreement has been reached for exclusive negotiations with Motor Presse France for the sale of a package of six specialised titles currently published by the Mondadori France group: Le Cycle; l’Officiel du Cycle de la Moto et du Quad; Bateaux; Golf Européen, Golf Magazine and Guide Bel-air.

The magazines involved in the negotiation, specialised in the sport sector, in 2007 recorded overall revenues of around €11 million.

The operation is part of the widely publicised strategy of rationalising the portfolio of Mondadori France through focalisation and development, also through the sale of niche titles, of upscale and mass-market segments with higher potential, also in terms of advertising.

Motor Presse France publishes around fifteen specialised magazines in France, dedicated to the worlds of cars, motorcycles, tourism, sport and leisure, as well as a series of travel guides. The company is part of the Motor Presse group, which is owned by Gruner+Jahr (Bertelsmann Group) and operates in fifteen countries and publishes more than 200 magazines.

The activation of the negotiation agreement is subject to the consultation procedures with trades union organizations foreseen by French legislation.