Values

175 Years of Bertelsmann | The Management | The Group Divisions | Spirit | Financial Information 49
Chapitre.com:
a consistent presence in French bookstores
Direct Group France is forging ahead with the linking of its club,
bookstore and Internet distribution channels: Along with the
media club division and its France Loisirs and Grand Livre du
Mois brands, the second pillar of Direct Group’s largest subsidiary
has now been uniformly organized. Since acquiring the
remaining 50 percent of the online bookseller Chapitre.com in
January, the bookselling business now combines the off - and
online realms with 70 stores under the shared Chapitre.com
brand identity, making Direct Group France the second biggest
bookseller in the country.
Five million copies of exclusive
“IBOC” titles sold by Direct Group
Direct Group’s expertise in books is refl ected in its club programs
and book-publishing operations in seven countries.
With more than 11 million members around the world, the
clubs off er new authors unrivalled marketing power. Exclusive
club premieres introduce newly discovered authors’ books to
a wide readership; club members are given the opportunity
to read these books fi rst. Since 1993, more than fi ve million
units of “International Books of the Clubs” have been sold.
Harlan Coban, Kitty Sewell and Karin Slaughter are among the
authors who have become famous with IBOC titles.
Bertelsmann Annual Report 2009
RTL Group
Random House
Gruner + Jahr
Arvato
Direct Group
Highlights 2009
Zeilenreich open bookselling concept:
one book – two prices
As a supplement to the media club business, Direct Group
Germany is testing a new bookselling concept under the
Zeilenreich brand. In three club shops, initially, as well as
through the mail-order magazine and online, Zeilenreich
customers can buy the same licensed edition at one of two
prices: Regular customers receive a discount of up to 40 percent,
while all other customers pay the regular retail price. In addition,
the tour business of the new company Via Sol Reisen is
off to a promising start: In its fi rst year, more than 30,000
German customers traveled with Direct Group.
Social networks:
Buchgesichter.de reader’s community
Th e reader’s community Buchgesichter.de (“Book Faces”) has
been online since spring 2009. Th e Direct Group Germany
online social network provides a platform for bookworms
and anyone who is interested in books. Here they can rate
books, write reviews and interact with like-minded people
about their (favorite) books, authors and other topics. Beyond
the usual social network features – from asking the question
“What are you currently reading?” to the use of geographical
features – Buchgesichter.de helps users determine their personal
reading DNA, making it possible to connect readers with
similar tastes.