Bike, Powder, Snowboarder, and Surfer magazines to cease publication indefinitely (snewsnet.com)

Book publishers are giving an advance review of the industry’s future, and it looks a lot like the past. After a decade of technological upheaval and lackluster growth, executives at the top four U.S. consumer book publishers say they are done relying on newfangled formats to boost growth. It has been nearly 10 years since Amazon.com Inc. introduced its Kindle e-book reader amid the financial crisis, destabilizing publishers and challenging their well-honed business models. Now, e-book sales are on the decline, making up a fraction of publishers’ revenue, and traditional book sales are rising. The consumer books industry is enjoying steady growth in the U.S., with total revenue increasing about 5% from 2013 to 2016, according to the Association of American Publishers. Executives gathered in Frankfurt for the industry’s biggest trade fair said they are returning to fundamentals: buying and printing books that readers want to buy—and they are streamlining their businesses to get them out faster than ever before. It is about “knowing what [readers] want,” said Markus Dohle, chief executive of Bertelsmann SE and Pearson PLC’s joint venture Penguin Random House, “to drive demand at scale.” Click Read More below for additional information.

• Third quarter revenues of $814.5 million rose 116.3% as compared to the prior year, reflecting the acquisition of Legacy Gannett. *Same store pro forma revenues (as defined and reconciled below) decreased 19.6%, due to unfavorable impacts resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and general trends adversely impacting the publishing industry. • Digital advertising and marketing services revenues were $197.2 million in the third quarter, or 24.2% of total revenues. • Over $218 million in annualized synergy measures were implemented by the end of the third quarter, with approximately $54.5 million in savings recognized in the quarter. • GAAP net loss attributable to Gannett of $31.3 million in the third quarter reflects $61.4 million of depreciation and amortization.

Office Depot, Inc. announced it is pivoting the company from a traditional office products retailer to a broader business services and technology products platform. As the first step in this new strategic direction, the company has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire CompuCom Systems, Inc. ("CompuCom"), a market-leading provider of award-winning IT services, products and solutions that enable the digital workplace for enterprise, small and midsize businesses. The company also provided a preliminary estimate of third-quarter financial results and a lowered outlook for Office Depot's stand-alone business for 2017. "Technology is the office supply of the future," said Gerry Smith, chief executive officer of Office Depot. "Today marks a significant milestone as we move to provide a unique business services platform for our current and future customers. Acquiring CompuCom is the first step in this new strategic direction. The combination of CompuCom's enterprise IT services with our millions of customers and approximately 1,400 distribution points gives us the credibility and scale to build a sustainable platform and stand apart from the competition. The company will create value for shareholders from a diversified revenue base with a clear opportunity to grow higher value services and business-to-business revenues." Click Read More below for additional detail.