2024

Mondadori Store, the largest network of bookstores in Italy, makes a new stronghold dedicated to the world of books, culture and entertainment available to the public in Piombino. Tomorrow, at 4 PM, a new bookstore will open in the Corso Italia pedestrian area, just near the city’s historic centre.

“I’m happy to bring this project to life with the Mondadori Store network of bookstores because we share the same goals: to develop places dedicated to culture, making it accessible to everyone and satisfying the tastes of an increasingly diverse audience”, said Giancarlo Giuliani, Mondadori Store affiliate. Piombino is the right city because it attracts so many tourists with its charming historic centre and breathtaking scenery overlooking the island of Elba and the Tuscan archipelago. I want to thank Mondadori Store for its support that has allowed me to return to Piombino with a bookstore, offering the city a new cultural organisation that will serve as a meeting point for readers of all ages, encouraging social interaction and reading”, finished the affiliate who, along with the Giuliani Group, manages another 17 Mondadori Bookstore throughout Italy.

The new Mondadori Bookstore has a floor area of 90 m² and a catalogue of more than 10,000 titles, from the great classics to best sellers, including fiction, nonfiction and various other works. Special attention has been given to younger readers with the We are Junior format, which includes educational games and picture books to stimulate their imagination with the most intriguing stories, along with a department dedicated to manga and comics, Just Comics. Areas dedicated to #BookTok, for the new generation of readers, as well as stationery, toys and gift cards, also expand the bookstore’s offer.

The Mondadori Bookstore in Piombino also serves readers online: customers can keep up to date through the Instagram and Facebook pages. They will also be able to get in touch with the store through the Mondadoristore.it digital services to check if a book is available, order it and pick it up in store or have it shipped, choosing from a catalogue of over 1 million titles. The bookstore will also offer customers the opportunity to place orders via telephone.

The new Mondadori Bookstore follows the plan for renewal and development of Mondadori Store, the largest bookstore network in Italy, with more than 500 stores in cities and smaller towns. The cultural organisation is active throughout the country, online with the e-commerce site Mondadoristore.it and the book club. In addition to books, its primary service, it also provides entertainment, events and multichannel services, reaching more than 20 million customers every year.

MONDADORI BOOKSTORE
Corso Italia 68/70, 57025, Piombino (LI)
Opening hours: Mon–Sun 9am – 12:30pm, 15:30pm – 19:30pm
Phone: 0565.478369
Email: mondadoripiombino@gmail.com

On the occasion of “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women” on 25 November, the Mondadori Group stands alongside all abused women with the #InPiediControlLaViolenza project.

The heart of the initiative is the art installation devised by the Mondadori Group with photographer Nicola Ughi and director Tommaso Casigliani to raise awareness about gender-based violence.
On display from 18 to 25 November at Palazzo Niemeyer, the work showcases 100 red chairs, which, in the artists’ vision, become a powerful symbol of collective commitment. In the exhibition only one chair stands upright and open, an emblem of strength and resistance, surrounded by closed “knocked-down” chairs: a silent but powerful tribute to all women whose lives have been interrupted by violence and who fight every day to overcome abuse and injustice.

The project is part of the social responsibility pathway the Mondadori Group has been following for some time, together with publishing houses, digital media, magazines and bookshops: it is an invitation to think about an issue that concerns everyone, and its purpose is to promote a culture based on respect and equality, against all forms of gender-based violence.

“Increasingly, companies are becoming places for social reflection, promoting debate and cultural change, and going beyond their business objectives. As Italy’s leading publishing group, we feel a strong responsibility to continue our commitment through awareness-raising initiatives like #InPiediControLaViolenza,” said Francesca Rigolio, Chief Sustainability Officer at the Mondadori Group. “We believe that the fight against gender-based violence should also be an active part of the workplace and that people’s personal and professional lives should be integrated into a “unified” vision of the human being that considers the individual and the community,” Rigolio concluded.

The #InPiediControLaViolenza awareness-raising project also extends to the lighting at Palazzo Mondadori. Exceptionally, until Monday 25 November, the lights of the arches of Oscar Niemeyer’s iconic building will change colour, turning red in solidarity with abused women and as a symbol of Mondadori’s commitment against gender-based violence.
The evocative video illustrating the art installation and the extraordinary lighting at Palazzo Mondadori will be posted on the Group’s website and social profiles, reaching millions of people and amplifying the message.

Special group media content

Awareness of these issues is also expressed through the Mondadori Group’s media, which are taking an active part in the project with a special program as part of the organisation’s year-round commitment and responsibility.
Specifically, The Wom and Webboh, respectively Mondadori Media’s first 100% inclusive social magazine and the first digital community for the new generations, will offer content to raise awareness about an issue of great current interest. In addition, The Wom website will publish a special feature with analyses, interviews, personal accounts and insights on the topic of gender-based violence.

Meeting for employees and collaborators

The promotion of a culture based on respect and equality, against all forms of gender-based violence, will be examined during a meeting for employees and collaborators entitled “Beliefs and Microaggression. Between Bias and Artificial Intelligence”.
The event will take place tomorrow, Thursday 21 November, as part of Mondadori’s “Diversity & Inclusion” project to foster an inclusive culture and equal opportunities in the organisation. It will explore how cognitive biases influence personal beliefs and generate phenomena like microaggressions, which are often invisible.

The panel will feature Mondadori Group CEO Antonio Porro, and experts in various fields, from neuroscience to psychology, economics and gender equality:

• Raffaella Tonini, Scientist and Research Director at the Laboratory of Cortical and Subcortical Circuit Neuromodulation at the Italian Institute of Technology;
• Vittorio Lingiardi, Psychiatrist, Psychoanalyst, Full Professor at the La Sapienza University in Rome;
• Andrea Notarnicola Cociani, Newton Management Consultant and Chair of the Scientific Steering Committee of the Global Inclusion Foundation art. 3 ETS;
• Azzurra Rinaldi, Economist, Director of the School of Gender Economics at the University of Rome Unitelma Sapienza.

Credits

The art installation is by Nicola Ughi and Tommaso Casigliani, based on the “Sediarossa” format.
Photographer: Nicola Ughi.
Director: Tommaso Casigliani.
Director of photography: Paolo Palladino.
Assistant director: Raffaello Terreni.
Music: Tommaso Casigliani and Pietro Pagnes.

Mondadori Store, the largest network of bookstores in Italy, offers the Foggia bookstore customers an even more attractive and welcoming shopping experience, thanks to a new space that has great historical importance and that complements the current store.

A new room is being added to the already large spaces that the store has, one that was home to a bookstore created in 1881. With this expansion, the Mondadori Bookstore strengthens its position as a cultural stronghold for the area, offering readers a unique experience within its spaces.

The new Mondadori Bookstore covers 60 m² and is located on Via Guglielmo Oberdan, near Foggia’s historic centre and next to the large spaces of the bookstore (200 m²) that have been there since 2012. The grand opening will take place on 9 November at 6 pm.

To preserve the historical importance of the location, the furnishings have been preserved and restored and the display cases will be visible to give passersby the opportunity to have a glimpse into the store.

The offer for the Mondadori Bookstore in Foggia includes a total catalogue of over 10,000 titles, from great classics to best sellers, including fiction, non-fiction, and various other works. Special attention has been given to younger readers with the We are Junior format, which includes educational games and picture books to stimulate their imagination with the most intriguing stories, and a department dedicated to manga and comics, Just Comics. Areas dedicated to #BookTok, for the new generation of readers, as well as stationery, toys and gift cards, also expand the bookstore’s offer.

“We are excited to start this new adventure”, said Marisa Colucci, Mondadori Store affiliate. “Our cultural initiative will try to focus on young people, and we will soon be offering all kinds of workshops, in addition to hosting school groups from primary and lower secondary schools in the city. We also intend to hold a series of presentations with different authors, in order to strengthen the bond with readers”, finished Colucci.

The Mondadori Bookstore in Foggia also serves readers online: customers can keep up to date through the Instagram and Facebook pages. They will also be able to get in touch with the store through Mondadoristore.it digital services to check if a book is available, order it and pick it up in store or have it shipped, choosing from a catalogue of over 1 million titles. The bookstore will also offer customers the opportunity to place orders via telephone.

The new Mondadori Bookstore follows the plan for renewal and development of Mondadori Store, the largest bookstore network in Italy, with more than 500 stores in cities and smaller towns. The cultural organisation is active throughout the country, online with the e-commerce site Mondadoristore.it and the book club. In addition to books, its primary service, it also provides entertainment, events and multichannel services, reaching more than 20 million customers every year.

MONDADORI BOOKSTORE
Via Guglielmo Oberdan 1/3 – 9/11, 71121, Foggia
Opening hours: Mon–Sun 8:45–13:00, 16:45–20:30
Phone: 0881-725133
Email: libreriadante.fg@tiscali.it
IG – FB

AdKaora and Hej!, the international digital companies of Mondadori Group specialised in mobile advertising and conversational marketing with full-funnel advertising solutions, participated in ‘Intersections 2024’ – an event created through the union of IAB Forum and IF! Italians Festival – with a workshop entitled ‘From online to in-store with mobile coupons: the multichannel retail strategy for L’Oréal Paris’.

How can loyal shoppers be engaged by turning drive-to-store into an in-store strategy for retail? The integrated campaign, created by AdKaora and Hej! for the launch of Serum Le duo by L’Oréal Paris, used different channels to cover all levels of the marketing funnel and reach users near Esselunga stores. The project ranges from brand awareness to purchase, where mobile interaction and digital coupon incentives play a key role in pushing consumers to action.

During the meeting, Paolo Ingrosso, Chief Revenue Officer of MarTech Hub Mondadori Media, and Walter Ferrari, Chief Marketing Officer of MarTech Hub Mondadori Media, explained the strategy together with Agostino Massara, Performance Media Manager – Consumer Products Division of L’Oréal Italia, and Martina Conte, Digital Lead of Wavemaker Italy.

The goal was to increase user awareness of the product, as it involved a new launch, stimulating their consideration and intention to try and purchase it.

The campaign, online from September 24th to October 13th, was created together with Wavemaker Italy. The specially-designed project aimed to build engagement and improve the customer experience up to the last mile, objectives achieved thanks to conversational marketing by Hej!. Meanwhile, custom display formats, the click to web format on the Stocard app and social planning guaranteed visibility and visual impact.

Through the integration of checkout technology by Savi, AdKaora’s partner in mobile couponing strategies, it was possible to intercept consumers in the final steps, transforming interest into purchases through the use of digital coupons.

Through cross-channel planning, further profiling via Stocard – an application that allows users to upload loyalty cards from different industries – and the AdKaora proximity suite, it was possible to stimulate loyal Esselunga customers – women aged 25-54 – to push coupon downloads, taking advantage of the product offer, and activating an effective drive to store for product sales locations.

The technologically advanced solutions by AdKaora and Hej! therefore intercepted target audiences near the points of sale of interest due to precise and accurate profiling, communicated the offer to active users, initiated a collection of qualitative leads starting from different channels and retargeted users based on their behaviour.

The results are very clear: 1.7 million Esselunga customers reached with advertising. Across creative formats including AdKaora display, Stocard click to web and Hej! social planning, a 2.8% click through rate was recorded, while 7.1% of users redeemed the coupons by using them in stores (a result that reflects market benchmarks).

Agostino Massara, Performance Media Manager and Consumer Products Division of L’Oréal Italy: ‘Thanks to this communication project, we saw that the target audience was not only stimulated in the consideration phase, but especially in the intent to purchase phase, demonstrating that a loyal buyer, such as at Esselunga in this case, will perform multi-channel actions if encouraged by greater product awareness and a current offer. Furthermore, the insights gathered on consumer behaviour through Hej!’s conversational marketing and mobile couponing could be useful for considering how to eventually scale the strategy to other brands in the division and work in an integrated way with the other commercial functions, in synergy with shared business and growth objectives.’

Martina Conte, Digital Lead at Wavemaker: ‘Since this was a product launch for Serum Le Duo, we wanted to work together with AdKaora and Hej! to create a strategy would go well beyond product awareness, encouraging product purchases due to the digital coupon. In fact, all the channels involved in the strategy worked in synergy to intercept consumers in the various phases of the decision-making process and the results confirmed the effectiveness of the project.’

Andrea Zermian, Sales and Marketing Director of Savi, said: ‘We are proud to have supported this campaign with our mobile couponing technology. Covering the “last mile” with integration at checkout has allowed us to convert consideration into purchasing actions smoothly and effectively, intercepting consumers at the decisive moment of their purchasing experience. This project is an example of how an advanced technological approach and well-orchestrated marketing strategy can generate a significant impact, strengthening the bond between brand and customer. Once again, we confirm our commitment to connecting more and more retailers to our platform to simplify the use of digital coupons for customers and offer brands a technologically advanced tool for optimising advertising investments.’

Davide Tran, Director of Mondadori Media MarTech Hub: ‘Intersections fits perfectly with AdKaora and Hej!’s long-lasting approach to proposing increasingly full-funnel and complementary solutions for the market. The campaign designed for L’Oréal Paris also represents an ideal case study in intertwining brand awareness with drive to store, turning proximity marketing into a retail strategy where the last mile of the customer’s journey is stimulated through Savi’s mobile couponing. With precise, data-driven profiling, we were able to target loyal Esselunga buyers and perform multi-channel lead generation activities, collecting qualitative leads interested in using digital coupons to generate conversions.’

Great success for “Focus Live -Traguardi” at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan, Italy

At the seventh edition of the “Focus” Festival of Knowledge, all of the more than 100 free events were sold out: meetings, workshops and interactive experiences with the stars of science

Segrate, 11 November 2024 – Focus’s festival of knowledge, Focus Live, once again achieved incredible success, with over 18,000 visitors. This is the seventh consecutive year that Focus has carried out this event in collaboration with the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan. The brand demonstrated its digital and social media strength by reaching more than 9.2 million users (a sharp increase from the 2023 edition), with posts, stories and videos shared on the Internet, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Tik Tok, all of which will remain available and will be enriched with new content for fans young and old.

Focus Live – Traguardi hosted 120 nationally renowned scientists, popular science figures, and creators, including Vincenzo Schettini, Telmo Pievani, Dario Bressanini, Teresa Fornaro, Adrian Fartade, Barbara Gallavotti, Tommaso Ghidini, and Massimo Temporelli, who involved the attentive and enthusiastic audience.

“The large participation and turnout at our festival testifies to the fact that there is a great thirst for scientific knowledge in our society”, said Gian Mattia Bazzoli, Director of Focus. “These days we’ve witnessed something extraordinary: science has become a common language, capable of uniting different generations. Celebrating the Achievements of Research and Innovation in all fields, we saw young popular science figures in dialogue with established scientists, resulting in an intergenerational exchange that truly bridged the seemingly distant worlds. This shows that when popular science can be both rigorous and exciting, it succeeds in touching the deepest levels of human curiosity”.

The more than 100 events that made up this seventh edition of the Festival special were all sold out: meetings, talks, workshops, and performances that made participants reflect on the fundamental role of science in shaping our future and illustrate in popular language the achievements of human knowledge. This is all thanks to authoritative voices, innovative formats, a mix of genres, fusions between the arts, music and nature, theatre and biology, sports and technology, embracing the nuances and facets of different languages capable of deep connections and interactions.

Contributing to the excellent result of Focus Live were major players in science and beyond, including: the “Three Musketeers” Adrian Fartade, Elia Bombardelli and Benedetta Colombo, social media popular science figures beloved by the younger generation; Alberto Grandi, food history lecturer and writer; comedian Federico Basso; Giampaolo Ricci, Italian national basketball team member and Doctor of Mathematics, who shared how he managed to combine study with competition at the highest level; Manuel Bortuzzo, bronze medalist in swimming at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, who spoke about his story; and Gian Francesco Giudice, Director of the Department of Theoretical Physics at CERN in Geneva. There was no shortage of Italian Institute of Technology researchers: Adriana Traviglia and Ferdinando Cannella, who brought Ringhio, the first robot archaeologist; Federica Pirrone, Professor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Milan; Marco Martinelli, popular science figure; and Roberto Valbuzzi, chef and TV host. Ample space was given to health, with Arsela Prelaj, researcher at the National Cancer Institute in Milan, along with Eugenio Santoro, researcher at the Mario Negri Institute and neurosurgeon, Pietro Mortini.

Once again this year, Focus Live gave its many visitors the opportunity to travel into the past or immerse themselves in the future through virtual reality, escape rooms and more, experiencing firsthand how science and technology are shaping the world around us. The experiences at the Experience Area were possible thanks to installations curated by amazing partners like Humanitas University, Scuola Sant’Anna, the Italian Institute of Technology, Airc, Joint Research Centre – European Commission, Politecnico, and the University of Milan.

For children and teens, the Kids area, curated by Focus Junior, offered an even richer program of STEM workshops, with a dedicated stage for talks with writers and scientists. From a magic school to games with graphs; from the use of a digital microscope to travelling around the world with a digital globe; from an escape room to travelling like particles of light to a trip on Santa Claus’s sleigh; from the use of artificial intelligence to write a story to creating a comic, robotics and economics and finance workshops.

Among the new features of this edition were Artificial Intelligence Masterclasses taught by Federico Favot and Jacopo Perfetti of Promptdesign.it, with whom Focus started MYIA, online courses on artificial intelligence. The two lecturers then took the topic to the Main Stage in the talk titled The 7 “Superpowers” You Didn’t Know You Had (Thanks to AI).

Also on display at Focus Live was the suit that will be used by astronauts on the Artemis III mission to return to the Moon, made by Prada and Axiom.

Headlining the Friday and Saturday evenings are two gripping shows: Science Shots, an engaging and interactive conversation between Licia Troisi and Virginia Benzi on the exploration of the unexpected. Then Change the Climate, Change the Music, Change Us Too, a two-voice, three-string, four-composer dialogue on climate change that featured journalist and popular science figure Massimo Polidoro and climatologist Elisa Palazzi on stage along with the Milan Symphony Orchestra ensemble. Closing the festival on Sunday was the lectio magistralis What Makes Us Human by evolutionary philosopher, Telmo Pievani.

Partners and sponsors

Focus Live is a Mondadori Media event, created in collaboration with the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci, and numerous partners:

MAIN PARTNER: Eni, ING
PARTNER: Autostrade per l’italia, Bayer, Humanitas University, Jordan Care, Kia, VTech
CONTENT PARTNER: Airc, Deloitte Foundation, Mondadori Education
OFFICIAL RADIO STATION: R101
AREA KIDS powered by Focus Junior

This edition of Focus Live sees the collaboration and support of various institutions, research centres, and universities: Civic Aquarium of Milan, Ars Dimicandi, Asi, Enea, Esa, Bruno Kessler Foundation, Henesis, IIT, Inaf, Joint Research Centre, Civic Museum of Natural History of Milan, Symphony Orchestra of Milan, Shake srl, Civic Planetarium of Milan, Polytechnic University of Milan, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Smonting, Think about Science, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, University of Milan, University of Milan-Bicocca, University of Ferrara and Way experience.

Advertising for Focus Live is curated by Piemme S.p.A, the Mondadori Scienza S.p.A.

Production and administration by the Left&Right event agency. The advertising campaign and the creativity of the installation were conceived by Zampe Diverse with the help of Artificial Intelligence expert Eddy Anselmi, who produced the visuals generated by generative AI.

Today, the meeting of the Board of Directors of Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A., chaired by Marina Berlusconi, reviewed and approved the Interim Management Statement at 30 September 2024 presented by Chief Executive Officer Antonio Porro.

“During FY 2024, the improvement in our Group’s economic performance continued”, commented Antonio Porro, CEO and General Manager of the Mondadori Group. “The positive dynamic of revenue and Adjusted EBITDA and the relevant cash generation have allowed us to finance the acquisitions, increase remuneration of shareholders and confirm the objectives we set ourselves as targets for FY 2024. In fact, during the period, the development of our core business continued, also through acquisitions in books and digital”, Mr Porro concluded.

Performance at 30 September 2024

During the first nine months of 2024, consolidated revenue totalled € 705.8 million, showing growth of 3.8% compared with the previous year (€ 679.9 million in the same period of 2023). Net of the change in consolidation scope between the two periods under review, resulting from the consolidation of the companies Star Shop (from 1 February) and Chelsea Green Publishing (from 1 May), organic revenue growth was 1.1%.

Adjusted EBITDA was € 133.3 million, up 3.1% on the € 129.3 million recorded for the first nine months of 2023, mainly thanks to the Trade Books, Retail and Media areas.

The Group’s EBITDA came to € 134.2 million, compared with the € 131.5 million at 30 September 2023, showing, despite lesser non-recurring income linked to the net capital gain deriving from the sale of the Grazia and Icon in 2023, an improvement of approximately € 2.7 million due to the favourable dynamics of the operating components.

The Mondadori Group’s EBIT, positive for € 88.3 million, has shown, compared with the € 90.5 million for the first nine months of 2023, a slight downturn, of € 2.2 million, due to the greater amortisation/depreciation, of approximately € 5 million, recorded during the period under review, mainly deriving from:

• for € 2.3 million, larger investments made during the last 12 months;
• and for an amount of € 1.9 million, from the accounting effects of the Purchase Price Allocation (PPA) process relating to the M&A transactions completed during previous years.

Neutralising the extraordinary items and the amortisation deriving from the allocation of the price for the companies acquired in the last 5 years, the period’s Adjusted EBIT would stand at € 93.8 million, up by approximately 1% compared with the € 92.6 million of the same period of the previous year.

The consolidated result before tax of the first nine months of 2024 was positive at € 82.4 million, a decline of about € 5 million compared with € 87.1 million at 30 September 2023. This reduction is the result of the dynamics already described, in addition to the lesser contribution, for approximately € 2.5 million, of the lesser earnings of associates which in 2023 benefited from non-recurring income (capital gains and fair value revaluation).

Financial expense grew by € 0.2 million in total as a result of greater imputed costs linked to the IFRS 16 debt (€ +0.6 million). The financial expense associated with the bank debt, on the other hand, declined insofar as the higher cost of debt was more than offset by lower average debt.

The Group’s net profit at 30 September 2024, after minority interests, was positive for € 59.3 million, down by approximately € 7 million compared with € 66.3 million in the first nine months of 2023, of which approximately € 5 million arising from the non-ordinary dynamics described previously and the remaining € 2 million resulting from a greater share of the profit attributable to minority interests (€ +1.3 million) and higher tax expense.

The tax component for the first nine months of FY 2024 are, in fact, negative for € 21.6 million compared with € -20.5 million at 30 September 2023: the 2023 result had, in fact, benefited from the recognition of non-taxable income or income subject to reduced taxation such as the capital gains arising from the sales of magazines and of the investment in SEE, as well as the contributions in the Media area.

Adjusted Net Profit, neutralised of the extraordinary components (including capital gains) and amortisation deriving from the purchase price allocation of the companies acquired, would be € 63.2 million, essentially stable compared with the € 62.8 million of the same period of the previous year.

Net Financial Position net of IFRS 16 at 30 September 2024 was € -150.9 million (net debt), essentially unchanged compared with the € -152.3 million at 30 September 2023; the significant cash generation of the business made it possible to finance the acquisitions of Star Shop and Chelsea Green Publishing and to increase remuneration of shareholders without increasing the Group’s financial exposure.

Net Financial Position gross of IFRS 16 at 30 September 2024 stood at € -229.7 million (net debt), up by approximately € 6 million from € -223.9 million at 30 September 2023, due to an IFRS 16 debt component of € -78.8 million, up by approximately € 7 million due to the renovation and development of the network of directly-managed book stores in the Retail area in addition to the acquisitions finalised in 2024 in the Trade Books area.

Cash flow from ordinary operations (i.e. after cash-out for financial expense and tax) in the twelve months prior to 30 September 2024 amounted to € 67.3 million.

At 30 September 2024, extraordinary cash flow of the twelve months previous was negative by approximately € 29 million, mainly due to cash-outs related to net balance of acquisitions and disposals for around € 15 million, restructuring costs for around € 6 million and the renovation of the Segrate headquarters for approximately € 4 million.

As a result, Free Cash Flow LTM at 30 September 2024 – positive for € 38.1 million – reflected the ongoing efficiency of the Group’s structures and confirmed its capacity to self-finance its inorganic growth policy.

Finally, during the period under review, the Mondadori Group recorded dividends for its shareholders for approximately € 31 million (of which 50% already distributed on 22 May 2024 and the remaining € 15.5 million assigned for payment on 20 November 2024).

Outlook for the year

In light of the results achieved in the first nine months of FY and the reference markets scenario, the Mondadori Group confirms the previously communicated guidance for the 2024 financial year.

Income Statement:

• low single-digit revenue growth;
• mid single-digit growth in the Adjusted EBITDA, with margins expected to remain stable at around 17%; this result is due to targeted pricing policies and a further reduction of paper and printing costs.

Financial data

In FY 2024, the Group confirms its significant cash generation capacity and therefore an estimated Ordinary Cash Flow of around € 70 million.

Performance of Business Areas

Trade Books Area

During the first nine months of the year, the book market showed essential stability (-0.5%[1] compared with the previous year).

In this context, the Mondadori Group’s publishing houses recorded a significantly better result than the reference scenario, with overall growth in the first nine months of 1.5% – even more significant in the third quarter alone (+3.6%) – thanks, in particular, to the excellent performance of sales of Italian fiction.
This performance has allowed the Mondadori Group to strengthen its national leadership with a market share of 28%.

As proof of the quality of the publishing plan and the depth and assortment of its catalogue, during the first nine months of the year, the Mondadori Group was able to place 4 titles in the top ten best-sellers list[2]. In addition, in July the Mondadori Group, through the Einaudi publishing house, won the 78th edition of the Strega Prize with “L’età fragile” by Donatella Di Pietrantonio.

During the first nine months of FY 2024, Trade Books area revenue came to € 281.9 million, showing growth of 7.5% (+0.7% like-for-like) compared with € 262.4 million for the same period of the previous year.

Adjusted EBITDA of the Trade Books area for the first nine months of 2024 came to € 42.2 million, showing margin growth of around 3% (€ 1.2 million), due to the improved profitability of the publishing houses, as a result in particular of the growth of digital revenue and lesser incidence of industrial costs (paper, first and foremost), which more than offset the decline in the margin recorded for museum activities.

Education Books Area

The Textbooks market (primary and secondary schools) reported a reduction of 1.5% in the total number of students (sharper in primary school), due to the demographic trend recorded in Italy.

In the first nine months of FY 2024, the Mondadori Group school textbook publishing houses achieved a market share (adoptions) of 31.8%, stable compared with the previous year and thereby confirming its leadership at national level. This result is due to growth in the secondary school segment (middle and upper schools) and a downturn in the primary school segment, characterised by greater volatility and lesser profitability.

In the first nine months of 2024, the area’s business recorded total revenue of € 213.9 million, slightly down (- 0.7%) versus € 215.5 million of the same period in 2023.

Adjusted EBITDA for the Education Books area came to € 73.8 million, in line with the € 73.9 million recorded in the same period of the previous year: the limitation of operating costs made it possible to offset greater logistics costs for € 1.9 million and the loss of margin deriving from the lesser revenue.

Retail Area

As already mentioned, the book market in Italy at end-September recorded a slight overall decline (-0.5%[3]) compared with the same period of 2023; growth of the physical channel (+1.1%); negative performance of the on-line channel (estimated at -3.3%).
In this context, the Retail area continued to outperform the market; Mondadori Retail’s market share in the Book product stood at 13.2%, an increase compared with 30 September 2023, driven by an excellent performance of both direct and franchise stores and good performance of the on-line channel.

Total revenues (book and non-book) amounted to € 143.8 million, an increase of € 10.4 million (+7.8%) compared with € 133.4 million compared to the same period of the previous year.
On an organic level (i.e. net of revenue from Star Shop, consolidated in this area as of 1 February 2024) the growth was 2.6%. The growth in revenue on an organic level would have been even more significant (+3.8%) without the impact of the temporary closures (due to renovation work) of the bookstores in Marcianise and Nola, which weighed on revenue for over € 1.6 million in the first nine months of the current financial year.

An analysis of sales by channel compared with the previous year reveals:

• further growth in revenue of direct bookstores (+5.3%);
• the continuous growth of franchisee bookstores (+3.1%);
• a slight decline in the on-line channel (-4%);
• the positive impact of revenue deriving from the management (direct and franchised) of Star Shop comic book stores and e-commerce website;
• the decline in revenues of Bookclub.

During the first nine months of the current year, the Retail area presented Adjusted EBITDA of €9.4 million (net of the Star Shop comic book stores margin impact), and highlighted significant growth, of 12.8%, compared with the first nine months of 2023 (€ +1.1 million). This result confirms progression and constant improvement in performance seen for several years now.
Adjusted EBITDA also suffered the negative impact (€ 0.6 million) of the specified restoration projects, without which Adjusted EBITDA growth would have been around 20% (€ +1.7 million) compared with the same period of the previous year.

Media Area

During the first eight months of FY 2024, the advertising market recorded an increase of 7.6% compared with the previous year; in this context, the digital segment grew by 5.5% while magazines declined by 1.4%[4]. The magazines circulation market declined by 6.7%[5] and add-on products recorded a reduction of 10.1%[6].

In the first nine months of FY 2024, revenue in the Media area amounted to € 106.4 million, and posted an increase of around 5% since the previous year, stemming from the strong growth in the Digital component, which continues to offset the structural downturn of the component linked to traditional activities. Specifically:

• the digital business (approximately 43% of the area’s total revenue) has shown growth in advertising revenue of 24.5%, resulting in particular from the positive performance of the MarTech segment and the excellent results of the social agency and Webboh;
• the traditional print business declined by 6.9%, mainly due to the structural drop in add-on sales and readership during the quarter under review.

Adjusted EBITDA for the Media area came to € 12.8 million in the first nine months of FY 2024, showing growth of approximately 25% compared with the previous year, mainly due to the digital business. The EBITDA margin recorded an increase of 2 percentage points, from 10.1% to 12%.

Consolidated financial highlights of third quarter 2024

The consolidated revenue of the third quarter of 2024 came to € 318.7 million, essentially stable compared with the same quarter of the previous year: like-for-like, the organic performance of revenue recorded a slight downturn of 2%.
Adjusted EBITDA was € 92.4 million, an increase of almost € 1 million on the € 91.1 million recorded for the third quarter of 2023.
The quarter’s EBITDA came to € 91.8 million (€ 91.1 million in Q3 2023), revealing that, despite the lesser non-recurring income, there had been an improvement of € 0.6 million that reflects the positive operating trend.
EBIT of € 75.6 million was reported, showing a slight reduction of € 0.9 million compared with the same period of the previous year. Despite the positive operating performance of all business areas that had led to an improvement in the profitability of the Group, the higher depreciation and amortisation recorded, in the amount of € 1.6 million, as a result of the growing investments and the PPA process, resulted in this downturn compared with the previous year.
Neutralising the extraordinary items and the amortisation deriving from the allocation of the price for the companies acquired in the last 5 years (PPA), Adjusted EBIT would stand at € 78.4 million, up by approximately € 0.5 million compared with the third quarter of 2023.

Start of share buyback program to service the 2024-2026, 2023-2025 and 2022-2024 performance share planstart of share buyback program to service the 2024-2026, 2023-2025 and 2022-2024 performance share plans

The Board of Directors approved the start of a share buyback program, under Article 5 of Regulation (EU) no. 596/2014, to be executed in accordance with the terms and conditions, already disclosed to the public, resolved by the Ordinary Shareholders’ Meeting of 24 April 2024 which, among other things, authorized:

• the purchase and disposal of treasury shares for a maximum amount of up to 0.39% of the share capital, which is intended to provide the Company with the no. 1,018,196 shares required over the three-year period to meet the obligations under the 2024-2026 Performance Share Plan established by the same Shareholders’ Meeting, pursuant to Article 114-bis of the TUF;
• the continuation of the buyback program to service the 2022-2024 Performance Share Plan and the 2023-2025 Performance Share Plan in the manners and within the limits set out in the relevant Regulations.

Pursuant to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052, details of the buyback program are shown below:

• Purpose of the plan

The sole purpose of the program is the buyback of Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A. treasury shares to service the 2024-2026 Performance Share Plan, the 2023-2025 Performance Share Plan and the 2022-2024 Performance Share Plan.

• Maximum amount in cash allocated to the plan

Buybacks will be made at a minimum unit price not lower than the official Stock Exchange price on the day before the purchase transaction, reduced by 20%, and at a maximum unit price not higher than the official Stock Exchange price on the day before the purchase transaction, increased by 10%. The volumes and unit purchase prices will, however, be defined in accordance with the conditions governed by Article 3 of EU Delegated Regulation 2016/1052. Specifically, no shares may be purchased at a price higher than the higher between the price of the last independent trade and the price of the highest current independent bid on the trading venue where the purchase is carried out. In terms of volumes, daily purchase amounts will not exceed 25% of the daily average volume of Mondadori shares traded over the 20 trading days before the dates of purchase.

• Maximum number of shares to purchase

Purchases will regard a maximum of no. 720,000 ordinary shares (equal to 0.275%) of the share capital, taking account of the treasury shares already held in the Company’s portfolio, to service the aforementioned Performance Share Plans, in the manners and within the limits set out in the relevant Regulations.
The maximum total amount of shares under the program is therefore within the limits of 10% of the share capital indicated by the Shareholders’ Meeting of 24 April 2024, taking account also of the no. 548,471 treasury shares, equal to 0.209% of the share capital, already held by the Company to date.

• Duration of the plan

The buyback program runs from 21 November 2024. The conclusion of the program, in any case by the Shareholders’ Meeting convened to approve the financial statements at 31 December 2024, the date on which authorisation to purchase treasury shares resolved by the Shareholders’ Meeting of 24 April 2024 expires, will be disclosed to the market.
The buyback program may be renewed upon further authorization by the shareholders.

• Buyback procedures

The buyback program will be coordinated and executed by an authorized intermediary, who will make the purchases independently, with no influence from Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A. as regards the timing of the purchases.
Buybacks will be made pursuant to the combined provisions of Article 132 of Legislative Decree no. 58/1998 and of Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 596/2014, Article 144-bis of the Issuers’ Regulation, and the EU and national legislation on market abuse (including Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052), in accordance with the resolutions of the above Shareholders’ Meeting of 24 April 2024.
Any subsequent changes to the buyback program will be promptly disclosed by the Company. The transactions made will be disclosed to the market in the manners and within the time limits of applicable law.
For information on the above Performance Share Plans, reference should be made to the information documents prepared pursuant to Article 114-bis of Legislative Decree no. 58/1998 and to Article 84-bis of CONSOB Regulation no. 1197/1999 and available on the website www.mondadorigroup.com ( Governance section) and at the authorized storage mechanism 1Info (www.1Info.it).

Convening of the extraordinary shareholders meeting for the proposed supplementation of the company’s bylaws. notice of publication of documents

The Board of Directors has also convened the Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting for 18 December 2024 (19 December in the event of a second call) to resolve on a proposal to supplement the company’s bylaws. The supplement regards, in execution of the provisions introduced by art. 11 of Italian Law no. 21 of 5 March 2024 (the “Capital Markets Law”), the attribution to the Board of Directors of the faculty to determine that intervention and exercise of voting rights in shareholders’ meetings may also take place exclusively through the Company’s appointed representative in accordance with Article 135-undecies.1 of Italian Legislative Decree no. 58 of 24 February 1998.
The notice calling the shareholders’ meeting and the Directors’ Explanatory Report are available to the public, in accordance with articles 125 bis and 125 ter of Italian Legislative Decree no. 58 of 24 February 1998, on the Company’s website www.mondadorigroup.com (Governance/Shareholders’ meeting section) and on the authorised storage mechanism 1Info at www.1info.it. The Call notice is also published in extract form, on 14 November, in the newspaper “il Giornale”.

The Interim Management Statement at 30 September 2024 is made available by today through the authorised storage mechanism 1info (www.1info.it), on www.mondadorigroup.com (Investors section) and at the registered office.

The presentation of the results at 30 September 2024, approved today by the Board of Directors, is available on www.1info.it and on www.mondadorigroup.com (Investors section).

A Q&A session will be held in conference call mode at 3.30 p.m. for the financial community, attended by the CEO of the Mondadori Group, Antonio Porro, and the CFO, Alessandro Franzosi. Journalists will be able to follow the meeting in listening mode only, by connecting to the following phone number +39.02.8020927 or via web at: https://hditalia.choruscall.com/?calltype=2&info=company.

The Financial Reporting Manager – Alessandro Franzosi – hereby declares, pursuant to Article 154 bis, paragraph 2, of the Consolidated Finance Law, that the accounting information contained herein corresponds to the Company’s records, books and accounting entries. 

Annexes (in the complete pdf): 

1. Consolidated Statements of Financial Position
2. Consolidated Income Statement
3. Consolidated income statement – III quarter
4. Group cash flow
5. Glossary of terms and alternative performance measures use

Focus, the Mondadori Group brand that serves as a point of reference for scientific dissemination and entertainment, has set a goal of bringing audiences closer to the most important technological revolution of our time: artificial intelligence. With this aim and in collaboration with PromptDesign.it, it is launching MYIA, an innovative series of online courses dedicated to learning and using generative AI for everyday life.

The offer includes 3 video courses organised in levels of increasing complexity: basic, intermediate and advanced. These training courses are designed both for people who are approaching the world of AI for the first time and for those who want to deepen their skills and become experts in the use of advanced tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and DALL-E.
With MYIA, users will learn how to make the most of artificial intelligence, improving their productivity, optimising professional work or simply exploring new creative horizons.

The courses offered by Focus are the ideal opportunity for anyone who wants to dive into the future of technology and understand how artificial intelligence is transforming society and the working world. The course is taught by Jacopo Perfetti, co-founder of the PromptDesign.it platform, author of several essays and Fellow of Innovation at SDA Bocconi, and Federico Favot, co-founder of the PromptDesign.it platform, screenwriter and creative producer, and host of the ‘Hacking creativity’ podcast.

The courses do not require prior technical skills and are fully available online through a dedicated platform. The lessons, which are all recorded, can be followed and reviewed at any time, for maximum flexibility. At the end of each course, a personalised certificate of participation is issued, certifying the skills acquired.

THREE CUSTOM COURSES

Each course is divided into 6–8 lessons and are always available in the personal area on the myia.academy website. Additional materials and slides that summarise the basic concepts can be downloaded for each lesson, along with pdf files of the pages of Focus used for exercises and tests.
1) BASIC: Introduction to Generative Artificial Intelligence. Participants who are new to artificial intelligence will learn the basics of generative AI and how to use models like ChatGPT. The course explains fundamental concepts such as creating effective prompts, the impact of AI on society and the conscious use of technology, providing participants with a solid foundation for using AI tools.
2) INTERMEDIATE: Prompt Design Techniques and the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence. This course is intended for people who are already familiar with AI. It focuses on prompt design techniques and the use of different AI models, such as Claude and DALL-E, to generate images, analyze documents and automate processes. Participants will learn how to fully leverage the potential of personalised GPTs and AI tools.
3) ADVANCED: Master in Prompt Design and Automation with Generative Artificial Intelligence. The advanced level of MYIA is aimed at people who wish to become true experts in artificial intelligence. This course explores innovative solutions for generating content, images, audio and video with tools such as DALL-E. It provides the skills needed to integrate AI into complex projects and automate tasks.

MYIA also offers artificial intelligence courses for teachers, created by Mondadori Education and Rizzoli Education with Formazione su Misura. This is an exclusive project dedicated to the practical application of AI in the world of education. And coming soon: AI courses for children in collaboration with Focus Junior.
Further information on the learning pathways and purchase prices of individual courses, as well as the various packages, are available on the myia.academy website.

Focus, in all its forms, is the leading dissemination brand in Italy, with a fanbase of over 7 million users (Social Media Account + Focus Creator), more than 3.3 million unique users (source: Audiweb 2023), a monthly circulation of over 127,000 (source: Ads, January–July 2024) and more than 3.1 million readers every month (source: Audipress 2024/2). 

– PLAI, the Mondadori Group startup accelerator aimed at turning AI-based ideas into successful businesses, was a leading player at SMAU (www.smau.it/milano), a reference for the innovation ecosystem in Italy, which was held in Milan at FieraMilanoCity on 29 and 30 October.

During the event, PLAI – the Mondadori Group accelerator — together with other companies of excellence accepted the SMAU 2024 Innovation Award, the prestigious prize for Italian companies with a strong propensity for innovation, capable of driving the country’s growth. It aims to enhance collaboration between companies and startups through open innovation and co-innovation projects to promote competitive solutions internationally. The SMAU Innovation Award is dedicated to companies that embrace innovation as a strategy for growth and success, becoming a model for the Italian and international markets.

‘The SMAU Innovation Award is a source of pride for the entire Mondadori Group, which places technological progress and related applications at the basis of its strategy for success. To do so, it has created an accelerator to select and support the development of innovative startups and open a concrete market outlet for the most promising,’ says Stefano Argiolas, CEO of PLAI.

Stefano Argiolas talked about his experience with PLAI at the live show ‘Open innovation models and approaches, how to stimulate innovation in the enterprise’. Open innovation allows companies in general, but startups in particular, to work with external partners that encourage creativity and open opportunities for growth and the development of solutions and processes.

SMAU proved to be an event full of workshops, networking and unique opportunities to make contact with people driving change: Andrea Santagata, CEO of Mondadori Media and Chief Innovation Officer of Mondadori Group, was involved in the working table behind closed doors, chaired by Alessandro Fermi, Councillor for University, Research and Innovation of the Lombardy Region, entitled ‘Artificial intelligence: ongoing experiences and future prospects’ formed with other companies to discuss issues related to artificial intelligence and collaboration models with startups.

In the matching area, the space designed for networking, PLAI also met the request for interaction to present the solutions of its young businesses — of the 165 invited by SMAU — that align with the interests of Mondadori Group: education, books and publishing, new media & advertising and retail.

‘We decided to participate in SMAU for the first time because we consider the event to be the stage for innovation in Italy and also the preferred place for interaction among entrepreneurs. We have received several requests for meetings from startups that view PLAI as being able to transform the future. Our mapping and scouting does not end here. We are already thinking about the next acceleration cycle,’ declares Stefano Argiolas.

October was a month full of networking and presentations for PLAI, from Milan Digital Week to SIOS24 Florence by Startup Italia, from Codemotion Conference Day to Intersections 2024, the event stemming from the union of IAB Forum and IF! Italians Festival — dedicated to digital innovation, marketing, communication, creativity and technology — and finally to SMAU 2024.

PLAI is the Mondadori Group startup accelerator that aims to transform ideas based on the use of artificial intelligence into successful entrepreneurial ventures. PLAI offers them a distinctive field of application and an industrial market both within the Group and with the initiative’s partners. PLAI operates in the pre-seed and seed phases, selecting and investing in Italian and international startups. In addition to capital, the accelerator provides startups with concrete areas to apply AI, structured training and mentorship courses, and the opportunity to participate in networking events, partly thanks to the unique set of skills and assets provided by major Italian and international partners.

Webboh Lab, the first permanent observatory on Gen Z born from Webboh‘s meeting with the Sylla research institute, involved 15,000 teenagers, aged between 14 and 17, to collect opinions, behaviours and perceptions regarding the topic of glass recycling and the use of packaging created with this material. The survey, conducted by Webboh Lab for CoReVe – the national consortium for the collection, recycling and recovery of glass packaging waste in Italy – highlighted some key points of interest.

VIRTUOUS BEHAVIOUR AND AWARENESS

The survey showed that three out of four teenagers (more than 76%) always separate glass, while only 5% said they rarely or never do it. Of these: 38% do not separate glass because they don’t think about it, 21% have someone to do it for them and 14% believe there is not enough information about recycling.

Glass recycling is very common among teenagers, as they generally prefer the use of glass packaging as it is more sustainable.

Young people are taught correct behaviours, such as separate waste collection, by their parents and schools, making it a recognised and widespread practice. Most interviewees believe that the good example of others and more information can motivate us to improve the collection of glass.

The data analysed also showed that two out of three teenagers (67%) are aware of the possibility of endlessly recycling glass without losing quality, while 65% of them are aware that incandescent bulbs and crystal glasses cannot be recycled together with ordinary glass. Finally, 85% of young people know that recycling a glass bottle reduces air pollution by 20% compared to that produced to make a new one.

As regards behaviour in Italy, 56.8% of interviewees believe that Italians pay enough attention to separating glass and that it is very important to do so (70.9%). 60% of children think that in 10 years glass recycling will be more widespread and 74.7% are in favour of penalising those who do not separate glass from other waste.

GROUPS:

Expansion of the answers obtained with respect to issues related to glass recycling and environmental sustainability has made it possible to identify four groups of adolescents with similar answers on in-depth topics.

Proactive recyclers (34%)
They are young people with a strong pragmatic and proactive tendency towards glass recycling, and are highly motivated and hands on as regards the actions taken. They attach great importance to protecting the environment and reducing pollution: they are extremely aware of the environmental issue and are convinced that recycling glass is a great help. In general, they are consistent in their behaviour towards sustainability, consumption choices and daily practices of waste separation, reuse and recycling of materials. They actively correct other people’s incorrect behaviour and they also agree to sanction those who do not separate their waste. They ask for more information to encourage separate waste collection and the virtuous example of influencers and famous people.

Recycling utilitarians (28%)
Teenagers in this group focus on the functional and utilitarian aspects of recycling, but they are much less motivated when it comes to issues related to environmental sustainability. They recognise the importance of glass as a material that is not harmful to the ecosystem and are familiar with recycling bins. Despite this, they are not particularly motivated by the concept of recycling or by the environmental impact that it may have. They are a little less virtuous as regards separating glass than the average person. To stimulate recycling, they propose economic incentives and are against the introduction of penalties for those who do not separate their waste.

Recycling theorists (23%)
Those that are disenchanted with recycling and are the least interested in the issues of recycling and the environment.
They reveal a more poetic and symbolic vision of glass, attaching a special value to its purity and its capacity for rebirth, however, they are less virtuous in separate waste collection, finding it complicated and demanding and remaining less sensitive to the issue of environmental sustainability in general. They claim to be motivated to recycle glass for its infinite reuse but are less concerned with practical details, such as using the correct bins or removing caps.

Poets of transformation (15%)
The young people belonging to this group are very involved in the issues of environmental sustainability and are very aware of related issues. They differ from the first group, the proactive recyclers, for their more romantic and idealistic vision: they see glass as a poetic and special material, and they prefer glass packaging for its unique characteristics. They are the most informed about correct glass recycling practices. They recycle much more than the average person, they are in favour of any incentive that promotes the dissemination of good practices and they are also in favour of penalties for those who do not separate glass correctly. Finally, they adopt, in general, a sustainable lifestyle and feel like active protagonists, attaching importance to the correct management of glass, since they are motivated by the environmental value of recycling.

“The survey is very interesting and allows us to understand what young people think and how they behave,” stated Gianni Scotti, President of CoReVe. “In general, there is alignment among children between environmentally sustainable behaviour, environmental awareness and glass recycling. Almost all of them – as many as 90% – think that the climate crisis is a serious matter and that glass recycling is a fundamental part of reducing pollution. But CoReVe’s challenge is speaking to the 5% that rarely recycle to make it clear what a waste of environmental and economic resources it is not to recycle glass properly. The work we are doing with influencers, creators, schools and territories goes precisely in this direction. Italy’s good recycling rate is, in fact, not taken for granted but must be maintained and, if possible, improved. This is why it is essential to know what Gen Z thinks and what behaviours they adopt,” Scotti concluded.

“This research has attracted a lot of interest among children, it is a generation that is well informed on and aware of environmental issues. The analysis of the data allowed us to identify 4 groups of teenagers with similar answers to the in-depth topics, each with a different leaning towards glass recycling. This has made it possible to collect very targeted information for the customer,” says Furio Camillo, Scientific Director for Sylla. “Webboh Lab confirms itself as a very effective tool for the strategy, marketing and communication of brands and companies that find an interesting target in Gen Z.”

Webboh is the flagship media for Gen Z. Created in April 2019, it has been part of Mondadori Media since February 2023. It currently has a fanbase of 4.5 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and WhatsApp, 70% of which are under 24. The website receives 3 million unique monthly users (source: Audiweb last quarter 2024). It is in the top ten most influential Italian media companies on social media, as well as the first targeting Gen Z for engagement and video views (source: Italian Top Media Rankings for First Communication made by Sensemakers). The topicality, authenticity and interest generated by the content is guaranteed by a bottom-up editorial model: the community is involved in every part of the creative process.

Webboh Lab, a partnership between Webboh and the Sylla research institute, with Scientific Director, Professor Furio Camillo, is the first Permanent Observatory on Gen Z. Webboh Lab’s commitment is to gather the voice of the younger generation, investigate and explore issues to convey them to those who make decisions for them, the adults of tomorrow.

Mondadori Store, the largest network of bookstores in Italy, is reopening its store in Seregno, in the Province of Monza and Brianza. Established in 2006, Mondadori Bookstore will once again be a socio-cultural reference point for the entire area as of Saturday, November 2, with a completely renovated layout, furniture and offerings.

The store will enliven the central Vittorio Veneto Square by serving as a hub dedicated to reading and entertainment, with a focus on young people.

The grand opening of the bookstore is scheduled for Sunday, November 3, at 11 a.m. Federica Perelli, Culture Councillor on the Seregno City Council will also be present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. As special guest for the occasion, Iginio Massari will be signing copies of his latest book ‘Giorni mesi anni di una vita intensa’ published by Baldini&Castoldi.

‘It has been 18 years since I fulfilled my dream of becoming a bookseller. In 2006, I opened the first bookstore in the area together with Mondadori Store, a strategic, key partner. From the beginning, the store has always stood out for its wide selection of books, welcoming atmosphere, and the team’s dedication to creating a cultural space accessible to everyone, from experienced readers to those taking their first steps in reading,’ says Miriam Vazzola, Mondadori Store associate. ‘This year marks a new phase for the Mondadori Bookstore in Seregno. The renovation is designed to modernise the spaces and enhance the offerings to improve the visitor experience, making the bookstore even more functional and welcoming. This restyling represents my daughter Carolina’s and my desire to continue a path that looks to the future, preserving the soul of the bookstore as a place of inspiration and passion for reading, today and in the years to come, especially for the next generations,’ the associate concludes.

The new Mondadori Bookstore has a floor area of 170 square meters and a catalogue of more than 10,000 titles, from the great classics to best sellers, including fiction, nonfiction and miscellaneous. Special attention is given to younger readers with the We are Junior format, which includes educational games and picture books to stimulate their imagination with the most intriguing stories, and a department dedicated to Just Comics and the manga phenomenon. Areas dedicated to #BookTok, for the new generation of readers, as well as stationery, toys and gift cards, also expand the bookstore’s offer.

The store promotes initiatives with different organisations in the area, with a special focus on collaborating with schools through meetings and educational events that bring girls and boys closer to the world of culture. These include the project ‘Alunni in Libreria’, designed to convey a passion for reading to children. In addition, the bookstore has renewed its collaboration with the City of Seregno, which makes the Auditorium available to encourage meetings with authors and personalities from the world of entertainment.

The Mondadori Bookstore in Seregno also serves readers online: customers can keep up to date through the Instagram and Facebook pages. They will also be able to get in touch with the store through Mondadoristore.it digital services to check if a book is available, order it and pick it up in store or have it shipped, choosing from a catalogue of over 1 million titles. The bookstore will also offer customers the opportunity to place orders via telephone.

The new Mondadori Bookstore follows the plan for renewal and development of Mondadori Store, the largest bookstore network in Italy, with more than 500 stores in cities and smaller towns. The cultural organisation is active throughout the country, online with the e-commerce site Mondadoristore.it and the book club. In addition to books, its primary service, it also provides entertainment, events and multichannel services, reaching more than 20 million customers every year.

MONDADORI BOOKSTORE
P.zza V. Veneto 8/9, 20831, Seregno (MB)
Opening hours: Mon–Sat 9:00 a.m. –12:30 p.m., 3:30–8:00 p.m. / Sun 10:00 a.m. –12:30 p.m., 4:00–7:30 p.m.
Phone: 0362.245596
E-mail: mondadori.seregno@gmail.com
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