Quebecor World

MONTREAL—Quebecor World is now operating under a three-tier infrastructure with its decision to integrate its six divisions into three groups. The magazine, book and directory divisions now comprise the Publishing Services Group, which will enable the company to streamline operations, improve services and better serve existing and new publishing customers. That move came on the heels of Quebecor World’s decision to integrate its U.S. retail insert, catalog, Sunday magazine and direct mail divisions into the Marketing Solutions Group. The logistics and premedia divisions will also operate under one structure. Kevin Clarke will lead the Publishing Services Group. He has been president of Quebecor World’s

MONTREAL—Quebecor World has sewn up a multiyear pact with Reader’s Digest Association worth about $55 million. The deal sees Quebecor World producing both magazines and books for Reader’s Digest Association and expands upon their current relationship. The agreement includes renewal work on titles such as Family Handyman, Reader’s Digest Large Print, Weekly Reader, QVC books…

MONTREAL—Quebecor World is now operating under a three-tier infrastructure with its decision to integrate its six divisions into three groups. The magazine, book and directory divisions now comprise the Publishing Services Group, which will enable the company to streamline operations, improve services and better serve existing and new publishing customers. That move came on the heels of Quebecor World’s decision to integrate its U.S. retail insert, catalog, Sunday magazine and direct mail divisions into the Marketing Solutions Group. The logistics and premedia divisions will also operate under one structure. Kevin Clarke will lead the Publishing Services Group. He has been president of Quebecor World’s

MONTREAL—Quebecor World’s three-year retooling program took its toll on the company’s North Haven, CT, facility, which will be closed down by the end of the second quarter. This move, in tandem with a staff reduction at the Islington factory in Etobicoke, Ontario, will result in the loss of roughly 700 full-time workers. The retooling program, which concludes this year, is aimed at reducing costs and improving productivity across the chain by consolidating volume in larger and more efficient facilities. The Islington plant produces retail flyers and catalogs, and binds directories. The binding operation, and 60 employees, will be maintained there. North Haven is primarily

MONTREAL—The deal that might have prevented Quebecor World from entering bankruptcy protection appears to be finally consummated. The financially troubled printer has signed a definitive purchase agreement for the sale of its European operations to Hombergh/De Pundert Group (HHBV), a Netherlands-based investment group. The transaction is valued at approximately 133 million euros (about US$206.5 million) and is expected to close by the end of June. Last December, Quebecor World thought it had an agreement with RSDB for a sale price of US$213 million, but that deal was squelched by RSDB shareholders. That transaction would’ve given Quebecor World about a 30 percent stake. With this

MONTREAL—Quebecor World has signed a $60 million multiyear agreement with Bauer Publishing of Englewood, NJ. Under the agreement, Quebecor World will print six magazines, which total more than 250 million copies per year.The printer also released its first quarter results, reporting an operating loss of $2.8 million on revenues of $1.3 billion. For the same…

MONTREAL—Quebecor World reached a multiyear extension agreement with publishing giant Simon & Schuster. Financial terms of the deal, which runs through 2015, were not revealed. At current levels, Quebecor World will supply Simon & Schuster with more than 100 million hard- and soft-cover consumer books per year via its network of six dedicated book facilities in the United States. Meanwhile, Quebecor World France has renewed its printing and finishing contracts with Mondadori France and Prisma Presse through 2009 and 2010, respectively. The pacts are valued at about 50 million euros. The company also announced it has enhanced its partnership with Carrefour Group in 2008,

MONTREAL—Quebecor World’s three-year retooling program took its toll on the company’s North Haven, CT, facility, which will be closed down by the end of the second quarter. This move, in tandem with a staff reduction at the Islington factory in Etobicoke, Ontario, will result in the loss of roughly 700 full-time workers. The retooling program, which concludes this year, is aimed at reducing costs and improving productivity across the chain by consolidating volume in larger and more efficient facilities. The Islington plant produces retail flyers, catalogs and binds directories. The binding operation, and 60 employees, will be maintained there. North Haven is primarily a

THE BIGGEST news story of 2008 has also produced one of the most deplorable subplots of the year. As you are all well aware by now, Quebecor World finds itself fighting to stay in business, having filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States, as well as reorganizational protection in Canada. While the prognosis appears good that the company will survive, there has been some negative fallout. Several clients have left or are considering leaving the Montreal-based printer, putting printing in the hands of Quebecor World’s competitors. Business is business, you might say, and print buyers have to act in their

MONTREAL—With some clients bailing out and its parent company offering more adversity than support, a leaner and meaner Quebecor World continues to battle forward by securing new deals and extensions on existing contracts. The financially troubled printer does have a tough road ahead. Quebecor World has opted to close its Magog, Quebec, facility, which produced magazines and retail inserts for the U.S. and Canadian markets. About 300 full-time jobs will be lost, including 200 positions already on temporary layoff, which will be made permanent. On the plus side, it received final approval for US$1 billion debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing. The financing is comprised of a