Month: July 2011

The Board of Directors of Arnoldo Mondadori S.p.A. met today, under the chairmanship of Marina Berlusconi, to examine and approve the interim report for the first half of the year to 30th June 2011, as presented by the Group’s deputy chairman and chief executive, Maurizio Costa.

THE MARKET SCENARIO
The latter months of the period saw a confirmation of economic instability in Italy resulting from a further slowdown in industrial production and consumer spending, as well as an increase in unemployment.
With regard to the sectors of reference for the Mondadori Group:
– the book market in Italy was characterised by the absence of bestsellers but nevertheless remained essentially stable compared with the previous year;
– the economic crisis had a clear impact on magazine circulation which in the first six months, both in Italy and France, was down;
– a climate of great uncertainty in both countries; with marked volatility in the Italian advertising market, with some months going well and others less so, while in France the growth trend that had persisted for some time was interrupted in the month of May.

GROUP PERFORMANCE FOR THE PERIOD TO 30 JUNE 2011
The first half results of the Mondadori Group in particular show:
– a slight increase in revenues, thanks to the resilience of all the businesses and the contribution of the digital activities under development;
– an improvement in operating profitability, essentially due to the improved performance of the core business: profitability was up both for magazines and books thanks to sustained revenues and the positive effects of cost cutting measures;
– an acceleration in the development of digital activities, for the web sites of the main titles, applications, the development and loyalty building of communities, online book sales (both print and digital) and the launch of new businesses;
– a capital gain from the sale to the Hearst Group of the company’s 50% stake in the company that publishes Cosmopolitan.

Consolidated revenues came to €741.4 million, an increase of 2% on the €726.8 million for the first half of 2010. A substantial part of the increase in revenues (+€14.6 million) was the result of an increase in digital activities.

Consolidated gross operating profit amounted to €59 million, up by 8.1% on the €54.6 million of the corresponding period of last year: excluding extraordinary items and investments for digital activities, gross operating profit would have been up by 8.6% on the same period of 2010.

Consolidated operating profit came to €47.9 million, a rise of 11.9% on the €42.8 million to 30 June 2010, with amortizations and depreciations on tangible assets of €11.1 million (€11.8 million in 1H 2010).

Consolidated pre-tax profit amounted to €37.5 million, a 21.8% increase on the €30.8 million for the same period of last year, thanks to a reduction of tax charges resulting from efforts made in the last 12 months on the company’s debt structure.

Consolidated net profit came to €22.7 million, an increase of 50.3% compared with the €15.1 million for the same period of the previous year.

In the first six months of 2011 gross cash flow amounted to €33.8 million, compared with €26.9 million in 1H 2010.

The Group’s net financial position was essentially in line with the first half of last year (-€399.2 million on 30 June 2011 compared with -€393 million on 30 June 2010) despite the payment of €40.3 million in dividends for the 2010 financial year.

Information concerning personnel
On 30 June 2011 permanent and temporary contract staff employed by the companies of the Group amounted to 3,701, a reduction of 56 compared with the same period of last year.
On a like-for-like basis, excluding development activities, the reduction compared with the first half of 2010 would be 110. Of particular note:
– the consolidation of AME Wellness Editoriale S.r.l. (ex Mondadori Rodale S.r.l.) from 30 June 2011;
– the development of new activities in the digital area and the creation of Glaming S.r.l., as well as the activation, inside other companies of the Group, of seasonal activities in the educational publishing area and the management of museum sites.
The organisational impact of these elements, to which the efficiency gains made by Mondadori France should be added, show that rationalisation efforts and the use of early retirement incentives are proceeding in line with the company’s plans and the agreements reached.

Personnel costs to 30 June 2011 amounted to €137.7 million, compared with €134.3 million for the first half of 2010. On a comparable basis – i.e. excluding the staffing costs for the digital area and eliminating the contribution of Mondolibri S.p.A., consolidated for only two months of 2010 – the overall cost would be down by 1.3% compared with 30 June 2010. On a like-for-like basis, compared with the first half of 2009 there was a reduction of 8.7%.

THE BUSINESS AREAS
· BOOKS
Book revenues in the first half of 2011 amounted to €166.9 million, -0.6% on the €168 million of the same period of last year. This was the result in a fall in revenues from third-party distribution, with sales in the art, exhibitions and educational sectors essentially stable.

Trade book sales, the area’s main source of revenues. Were up by 1.6%, confirming the Mondadori Group’s leadership in the sector with a market share of 26.4% (source: Nielsen, first half).
Edizioni Mondadori recorded first half revenues of €60.1 million, an increase of 8.3% compared with the same period of 2010. The validity of the Mondadori offer was also confirmed by the titles that were nominated for the most prestigious Italian literary prizes, including Di Fama e di sventura by Federica Manzon, a finalist for the Campiello prize; Ternitti by Mario Desiati, short-listed for the Strega prize; and La fine del mondo storto by Mauro Corona winner of the Bancarella prize.
In Italian fiction, there was continued success for Nessuno si salva da solo by Margaret Mazzantini which has sold some 300,000 copies in the last three months. In foreign fiction the outstanding titles in the period have been Le luci di settembre by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (190,000 copies) and Autopsia virtuale, the new thriller by Patricia Cornwell (135,000 copies).
The launch in March of the new brand NumeriPrimi°, an imprint offering quality paperbacks, resulted in sales of over a million copies in just four months.
Among the Group’s other publishing houses, of particular note was the performance of Einaudi that ended the first half with revenues of €25.7 million, an increase of 8%.

In the digital market, since the beginning of the year the Group has published 2,300 trade e-book titles at the same time as the printed versions (600 more than in the first half of 2010), including a variety of products published as applications.

There are also high expectations for the editorial programme for the second half with the publication of new titles by Fabio Volo, John Grisham, Sophie Kinsella and Alessandro D’Avenia.

· MAGAZINES ITALY
In a market that in the first six months showed none of the expected signs of recovery in the Italian and international publishing sector, the revenues of Mondadori’s Magazine Italy area amounted to €247.8 million, essentially in line (-0.9%) with the €250 million of the same period of 2010.

This result is largely attributable to the fall in circulation revenues (-4.3%), while advertising was up by 1.8%, in a market that recorded a fall of 1.4%, sustained by the good performance of Mondadori titles (+0.5%), strong efforts by the sales network and numerous and innovative initiatives. On the internet front, there was an excellent performance in sales by the non-consolidated arm Mediamond (+30%).

In terms of circulation, Mondadori titles performed better than the market, which lost 5.6% in copies – despite the progressive decline in subscription copies (-14%), following the big increase in postal charges. Revenues for add-on sales in the period were stable.

Over the coming months the programme of re-launches of certain titles in the portfolio will continue, taking the total number to 10 during the year, following the launch of Panorama Icon, the re-design of Donna Moderna Panoramauto, Casaviva and Ciak, in the first half of 2011.

During the period, the web sites of Mondadori titles saw an increase in revenues of 18%, in particular Donnamoderna.com (+30%), which was re-launched with a new version in May, Panorama.it (+57%) and Grazia.it (+22%), completely renovated in April.
In terms of traffic, Donnamoderna.com recorded an excellent performance with 70 million page views (+80% on the first half of 2010) and 4 million unique users (+35% compared with the same period of last year).

· MAGAZINES FRANCE
The revenues of Mondadori France in the first half of 2011 amounted to €172.4 million, an increase of 2.4% on the €168.4 million for the same period of the previous year.

On the advertising side, Mondadori France recorded growth of 4.7% compared with the same period of last year, in a market that was up by 2.5% (source: Kantar Media, in terms of value).
This result is large attributable to the performance of Grazia, which saw advertising revenues grow by 53%, and the positive performance of the titles in the “Sciences” area.
In particular Grazia, with an average circulation of 180,000 copies in the period, confirmed its position as the most successful weekly in its segment and in second place in terms of the total number of advertising pages in the entire French market.
In fact, upscale women’s titles now account for 32.9% of the company’s total advertising revenues, up from 26% in the first half of 2010.

In terms of circulation revenues (69% of the total), Mondadori France recorded growth of 2.1% thanks to the focus on a portfolio of mass-circulation titles and constant attention to product quality and innovation. Of not during the period was the launch of the pocket version of Grazia and the growth, compared with the first half of 2010, of women’s titles, in particular Top Santé (+10.2%), Biba (+8.8%) Modes & Travaux (+7.3%), as well as Science & Vie (+2.9%).

International activities
Thanks to a recovery in the advertising market, in the first half of 2011 the positive trend first recorded in the first quarter continued, resulting in an increase of 45% in licensing revenues.
Compared with the first quarter, there was a confirmation of the performance of all editions, especially weeklies, that drive the revenues from advertising services for Italian clients for all the titles in the network.
In June, a new edition of Casaviva was launched in Ukraine, while in the second half a new edition of Interni will be published in Russia.
There was also a marked improvement in the contribution of the joint ventures in Russia and China compared with last year, and significantly better than the forecast, in particular as a result of a hike in advertising sales.
The Attica subsidiary continued to feel the impact of the ongoing financial crisis in Greece and saw its advertising revenues fall by 25% in Greece and 15% in the Balkans. Serbia meanwhile bucked the trend, with an increase of 8%. Thanks to the restructuring of the company, the detailed re-negotiation of all supply contracts and the excellent performance of the Group’s two radio stations, the final result was in line with last year.

· ADVERTISING
Total advertising investments in the first half of 2011 were affected by a slowdown of 2.8% in the first five months of the year (source: Nielsen, May).
This is mainly due to a decline in two fundamental sectors, food and telecoms, which were both down by 9.4%. There was substantial growth in the internet (+15.6%); a slight improvement compared with recent months for TV (-2.3%) and magazines (-1.4%), while newspapers continued to fall (-4%) and radio saw a sudden and marked slump (-8.4%).

Mondadori Pubblicità ended the first six months with total revenues of €117.5 million, a slight fall (-2%) compared with the €119.9 million of the first half of 2010; this result was due to the positive performance of sale fro Mondadori titles (+0.5%) and R101, while sales for third-party publishers were in decline.
Regarding the performance in the Mondadori area:
– there was a slight increase for weeklies compared with the first half of 2010, thanks to the positive performance of Grazia, Tu Style and Donna Moderna; and a slight fall for monthlies (-1.4%), despite a good performance in the interiors/furniture sector;
– despite the difficult market, R101 recorded a positive performance following the reorganisation of the network, with an increase in sales of 2.7% in May and 6.9% in June;
– in the internet, where sales are managed by the joint venture Mediamond, there was significant growth in the first half, thanks to the positive performance of Mondadori’s women’s portals and the news area of Mediaset with Tg.com and Sportmediaset.it. There was alos an expansion of the area with the acquisition of advertising sales contracts for Meteo.it and Giornale.it.

· DIRECT and RETAIL
Total first half 2011 revenues in the Direct and Retail areas came to €123.1 million, an increase of 13% on the €108.9 million in the first half of last year, thanks to the contribution of Mondolibri, consolidated in May 2010, and the performance of the franchise network.

Revenues from the Direct area, which include the activities of Cemit Interactive Media and the mail order sales of Mondolibri, saw growth of more than 26%, also due to the change in the area of consolidation.

In Retail, in the first half of the year the Mondadori chain of stores saw sales rise by 6.8% compared with the same period of the previous year, thanks to the contribution of the Mondolibri outlets (€10.5 million in 1H 2011, compared with €1.9 million in the two months of 2010) and new affiliations in the Mondadori Franchising network (+8% compared with the same period of 2010) which offset the fall in revenues from Mondadori Retail’s own stores, due to the closure of two shops in Rome, as already announced, in the second half of 2010.

· RADIO
As mentioned, there was a sharp downturn in revenues in the radio market in the first five months of 2011 (-8.4%), and a fall of 12% in the last three months (source: FCP Assoradio).
In this difficult context, the performance of R101 clearly bucked the trend, with net revenues of €8.2 million, an increase of 7.9% on the €7.6 million from the same period of last year.

This result was due to the excellent performance, following the reorganisation of the sales network and the alignment of the share of radio by the advertising sales company compared with the Group’s other businesses, made possible by a reduction in the cost of advertising sales for the radio itself.

· DIGITAL
In the first half of 2011 the Digital area of the Mondadori Group generated from direct activities total revenues of €8.8 million, while the development of indirect digital activities for other business sectors (e-books, online book clubs, internet sites, subscriptions and digital advertising) generated revenues of €14.2 million; consequently, the new Digital area generated a total of €23 million, compared with €13 million in the first six months of 2010, despite the delay in the launch of gaming activities.

Of particular not among such activities were:
– www.bol.it, which had 900,000 unique users, up by 70% compared with the same period of last year and 17% compared with the month of May 2011, and the web site www.easyshop.it, with more than 100,000 unique users;
– applications and services for mobile phones, that continue to make an important contribution to revenue and margin growth. In the apps area, after the launch of Virtual History Roma, a series of other cultural apps were developed (The Last Supper and others in collaboration with the Books area including Diabolik and Alexandros) and news (Epoca/il Papa Santo, La Patria bene o male).
With regard to Value Added Services, there was an increase in revenues of over 10% compared with 2010, thanks to the expansion of the offer and services launched with the leading telecoms operators;
– the CRM project, which aims to aggregate the Group’s various customer databases with a view to making increasingly targeted offers to customers, is in line with the programme which will enable the company to make its first moves and to develop an adequate process of innovation in the area of customer relations during the last quarter of 2011;
– during the second quarter the company also created Glaming, a company owned 70% by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore SpA and 30% by Fun Gaming, for the management of distance public gaming (an activity that is regulated by a government authority, in Italy the Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato, or AAMS). Mondadori, which at the end of June was included in a provisional list of applicants, expects to be awarded a licence in July and to begin activities by the end of the year.

FORECAST FOR THE FULL YEAR
In terms of economic growth and employment, the situation in Italy, and more generally in Europe, shows little sign of improvement. There have recently been great concerns about public finances in the whole of the Eurozone, with inevitable effects on social security and fiscal policies and, as a result, on savings and household expenditure.
The climate of great socio-economic uncertainty has also had a direct impact on investments.

Given the prevailing context, with reference markets in decline, the Mondadori Group’s results for the first half of 2011 are particularly significant; where resilience in the core business and the ongoing attention to cost reductions have enabled the company to record an improved level of operating profit for the sixth consecutive quarter.

Over the coming months the commitment to the more traditional businesses will be accompanied by a greater commitment to the digital sector, with the acceleration of the offer of products and digital services and the building of customer loyalty related to the Group’s brands and communities.

Conditioned by exogenous and transnational factors, it has never been more difficult than now to make forecasts about growth.
But in spite of all these considerations, the determined and focused management of the core business and the development of new opportunities is expected to enable the Mondadori Group, in the absence of unexpected phenomena, to record an improvement in profitability also for the full year, despite ongoing investments for the development of its new digital activities.

§

The executive responsible for the preparation of the company’s accounts, Carlo Maria Vismara, declares that, as per art. 2, 154 bis of the Single Finance Text, the accounting information contained in this release corresponds to that contained in the company’s formal accounts.

Mondadori and Amazon today announced an agreement which will make more than 2,000 e-books published by the Mondadori Group available to Kindle customers. Customers across Europe will be able to buy Mondadori books through Kindle stores on Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de and Amazon.com.

According to Mondadori, the Mondadori, Einaudi, Sperling&Kupfer and Piemme publishing houses will offer thousands of e-books to Kindle customers in Europe from Kindle Stores. In addition, Mondadori expects to add another 1,000 titles by Christmas for readers to enjoy, including all of the new titles planned by each publishing house in the coming autumn-winter season.

The Mondadori trade catalogue includes more than 10,000 titles, and in addition to many backlist titles all of the Group’s most important new titles have been launched simultaneously in print and digital formats since last January.

“For Mondadori, working with Amazon to make thousands of e-books available to Kindle customers is an important step forward in the Group’s digital development strategy,” Maurizio Costa, deputy chairman and chief executive of Mondadori. “After a year of studies and experimentation, we expect 2012 to show great acceleration of e-book sales in Italy. E-books have tremendous potential in our country and I expect them to be a major part of our business going forward,” Costa continued. “Mondadori aims to play a driving role, making available to readers by 2012 more than 8,000 books in digital format and we are excited to work with Amazon to take this step”.

“One of our top priorities for Kindle is increasing selection for our customers in all languages,” said Greg Greeley, vice president, Amazon EU. “We already offer customers in over 100 countries thousands of foreign language titles. Now, together with Mondadori, we are excited to bring Italian-language titles to Kindle readers in Europe from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de and Amazon.com.”

Gruner+Jahr/Mondadori has launched a new product with the Focus brand in the Italian magazine market dedicated in particular to children who love animals.

The title is called Focus Wild and the monthly makes its first appearance on the newsstands on Tuesday 26 July. The magazine is edited by Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, head of the children’s and young people’s area of Gruner+Jahr/Mondadori (Focus Junior, Focus Pico e Focus Geronimo Stilton).

Focus Wild is aimed at children between the ages of 10 and 14 with a passions for the world of animals in general. The new title is divided into two main areas: the first is the section entitled Mondo, where readers can admire high quality images and reports about animals and their behaviour, interviews with well known personalities and a range of interesting curiosities. The second section, entitled How-to, features pages dedicated to looking after domestic pets.

“With this new product,” underlined Fabienne Schwalbe, managing director of Gruner+Jahr/Mondadori, “the recognised authority of the Focus brand will be able to satisfy the needs of a market that, until now, was not catered for in print. The launch of Focus Wild, with its innovative approach, puts us again in step with the times and tastes of our targets and confirms our absolute leadership in the kids’ edutainment segment.”

“Focus Wild,” added Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, “is a magazine that, as well as presenting the wonders of the animal world, also features surveys and reports on environmental problems and suggests a number of ways in which “you can do something”. In fact there are a great number of kids who are passionate about animals and want to get involved personally. This magazine is for them.”
With 68 pages and in the 22 x 28.5 cm format, Focus Wild will have a cover price of €3.50, and a print run for the launch of 150,000 copies.

The launch of the new title will be supported by a major advertising campaign on Mediaset channels, as well as digital and satellite channels aimed at children, ad pages in both Gruner+Jahr/Mondadori and Mondadori titles and point of sale posters.

Advertising sales are being managed by Mondadori Pubblicità.

Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A. has today announced that, in the period between 18 and 22 July 2011, the company bought a total of 459,000 shares (corresponding to 0.1769% of the company’s share capital) on the automated share market at an average price of €2.32612 per share, for a total of €1,067,691.86, in the context of the authorisation of the company’s AGM, held on 21st April 2011 (previously communicated as per Art. 144 bis of Consob regulation 11971/1999), to effect share buy back operations.

The details of the operations, as conducted daily, are indicated below:

date N° of shares bought Weighted average price 18/07/2011 105,000 2.26996 19/07/2011 100,000 2.30395 20/07/2011 125,000 2.32025 21/07/2011 60,000 2.37453 22/07/2011 69,000 2.41229

Following these operations and taking account of the shares already in the portfolio, Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A. now directly holds 18,850,101 of the company’s shares (or 7,2660% of the share capital). A further 4,517,486 shares are hold by the subsidiary Mondadori Internarional S.A.
Consequently, as of today the total number of shares held now amounts to 23,367,587 (or 9.0073% of the share capital).

***

It should be noted that the Shareholders on 21st April 2011 authorised the buy back of a further 16,546,887 company shares, with respect to a total of 22,367,587 shares, already held, either directly or indirectly on the date of the authorisation issued by the AGM, permitting the attainment of the 15% limit on the existing share capital established by the Shareholders.
The authorisation is valid until the meeting for the approval of the Annual Report for the year to 31 December 2011.
In line with the Shareholders’ authorisation, buy backs are effected on regulated markets as per art. 132 of the legislative decree of 24 February 1998 n. 58 and art. 144 bis, para. 1, B of Consob regulation 11971/99 according to operating procedures established by the regulations for the organisation and management of the markets themselves, which does not permit the direct combination of offers to buy with predetermined offers to sell.
It should also be noted that, in terms of price and daily volumes, acquisition operations are conducted in line with the norms foreseen by the EU regulation 2273/2003, and that, in terms of daily volumes, the company will not purchase a quantity greater than 25% of the average daily volume of Mondadori shares traded on the regulated market and calculated on the basis of the average daily volume of trading of Mondadori shares in the 20 trading days prior to the dates of purchase.

“Diamoci del tu. Dialoghi fra arte e design”: is the theme of the second MILANO DESIGN WEEKEND, the extraordinary event jointly organised by Mondadori and RCS Group to support companies in the furniture business, an Italian industrial sector well known for its excellence. Also dedicated to Milan, a design capital, the event, which after the huge success of the first edition, is back this year from 6 to 9 October; four days of shopping, with integrated features of design, art, architecture and music.
An exciting occasion, open to everyone, which aims to spread a contagious desire to discover, learn and explore that will transform the city into an exemplary catalyser of creativity.

MILANO DESIGN WEEKEND has also obtained the patronage of the Culture, Expo, Fashion and Design Department of the City of Milan and the Architects’ Association of the city and province.
The event also has the support of some of the city’s most significant cultural institutions, including the Triennale Design Museum, the Museo del Novecento and the Case Museo di Milano circuit. Also taking part for the first time is the Conservatorio di Milano.

MILANO DESIGN WEEKEND is an event that brings together the worlds of production, distribution and media to create an extensive communication platform able to respond to the demands of increasingly well-informed and demanding consumers. It is also a unique initiative in Italy involving the joint participation of the Mondadori and RCS groups, with their large networks of titles dedicated to interiors, working together on a project in support of the market and distribution.
The event also provides a big boost to the growth of the culture of living, a perfect demonstration of a new way of thinking about publishing and communication.

With a full programme, the MILANO DESIGN WEEKEND draws together into a large network branded showrooms, multi-brand furniture shops, museum bookshops and department stores. Also involved are museums, architectural firms and the main bookstores in the city of the two big publishing groups.
All of these will remain open on Saturday 8 October until 10 pm during the NOTTE DEL DESIGN (Big Design Night) that will enliven the city with special events and initiatives.
An invasion of creativity that will take over and infest the city, making it even more lively.

THE THEME: Diamoci del Tu. Dialoghi tra arte e design (On first name terms. A dialogue between art and design).
The second edition of MILANO DESIGN WEEKEND is focused on the idea of greater familiarity, with the aim of making the relationship between the sales outlets for design and the final consumer warmer and more engaging.
During the whole period of the event, participating shops will become the locations for events aimed at creating a new type of dialogue with consumers, providing not only a selection of products but also a unique experience.
In fact, sales outlets will be asked to interpret, with dedicated layouts and activities, the theme that gives the title to this year’s edition that suggests an open, closer encounter between the city, design and art. A perfect symbol of a new desire to be more open to the world.

Triennale Design Museum
The Triennale Design Museum, a point of reference for the enhancement and promotion of design excellence in Italy and around the world, is a partner of the MILANO DESIGN WEEKEND with a series of proposals aimed at bringing the world of design to a wider audience.
From 6 to 9 October entrance will be free for the fourth edition of the Triennale Design Museum’s Le fabbriche dei sogni and Vitality. Korea Young Design, an exhibition in the MINI & Triennale CreativeSet space.
And for kids, on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9, the Triennale Design Museum will run its TDMKids project, aimed at children between the ages of 4 and 10.
The TDMKids teaching laboratories have been conceived to involve a number of designers in efforts to attract children to the beautiful, the useful and the world of materials with an approach related to the design methods used by individual designers. On this occasion the labs will be offered at the special price of €5 (rather than the standard €8) for each child, including a guided tour of the museum, laboratory activities (which will last 90’) + an educational materials kit with the book Frisello al Triennale Design Museum. Il mistero dei sette semi.
In addition, visitors who present the Design Card, with the full complement of stamps, at the booking desk will receive a coupon with a discount for admittance to the exhibition O’Clock. Design del tempo, tempo del design (€4 rather than €8) which will open on 11 October.
The offer will remain valid for the first two weeks of the exhibition.

Info Point and BookStores
Distribution of materials prior to the event will be made through Info Points and bookstores in Piazza San Babila, Largo La Foppa, at the Mondadori and RCS stands at the MADE EXPO and the Mondadori Multicenter stores in Piazza Duomo, Via Marghera and Corso Vittorio Emanuele; the Electa Bookshop at the Museo del Novecento and the Skira bookstores at the Pinacoteca di Brera, the Castello Sforzesco, the Triennale, La Rinascente Design Supermarket, La Scala Shop, Palazzo Reale and the showroom at Palazzo Stampa.
 As well as the Rizzoli bookshop in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.
During the event Electa and Skira, two of the world’s most prestigious publishers of art books, will offer a selection of specially priced architecture, design and art titles.

Cult products
To mark the MILANO DESIGN WEEKEND, the sales outlets and companies involved will welcome visitors with a special surprise: a selection of products – including discontinued lines and limited editions – that will be available only for the four days of the event at a special 30% discount.

Competitions
Two competitions will also be launched during the MILANO DESIGN WEEKEND.

For the first, the public can vote, on the web site WWW.MILANO-DESIGNWEEKEND.IT, for their favourite CULT product. And a prize draw will be made from all of the voters with the prize of a weekend break for two.

For the second, the protagonist will be the Design Card, a sort of on and off line design passport that should be stamped at each location in the MILANO DESIGN WEEKEND circuit.
When visitors have accumulated ten stamps the card can be put into one of the urns located at the sales outlets, info points and other locations involved in the event. Also here there will be a prize draw with another weekend break for two as the prize.
The only obligatory stop to be able to take part in the draw is at the Triennale Design Museum.

Prizes will also be awarded to the producers of the three most voted cult products and an authoritative jury will select the best interpretation of the theme of the event in two categories: branded showrooms and multi-brand stores.

Cultural attractions
A number of initiatives will be staged during the event – art, design, architecture and music – to attract and involve the entre city in support of the design system.
These will include:

MUSEO DEL NOVECENTO
During the MILANO DESIGN WEEKEND, the Museo del Novecento – taking part for the first time in the event – will offer 300 free tickets. The visits, organised by Electa (booking essential), will offer a fascinating chronological journey, starting at the beginning of the twentieth century, through the most important movements and tendencies in Italian art. Visitors will be accompanied by exceptional guides, such as critics and art historians.

THE CASE MUSEO ITINERARY
Electa will also organise free visits (booking essential) to some of the cities most impressive museum houses: the Museo Bagatti Valsecchi, the Casa Boschi di Stefano, Villa Necchi Campiglio and the Museo Poldi Pezzoli. On this occasion, critics and art historians, architects and archaeologists will be the ‘special’ guides who will accompany visitors, highlighting and explain architectural and design features and stories about masterpieces and artists.

THE MILAN MUSIC CONSERVATORY
The Conservatory – which is also taking part for the first time in the MILANO DESIGN WEEKEND – will be open to the public on Saturday 8 October for the final concert of the Festival named in honour of Nino Rota, and organised to coincide with the hundredth anniversary of the composer’s birth. Three hundred seats will be available for the concert in the Sala Verdi. Also on Saturday 8, an exclusive concert will be held at the Villa Necchi featuring students of the Conservatory; a meeting of art and music in an extraordinary location, excitingly brought to life by the young musicians of the city’s most prestigious school of music.

SECRET MILAN
A series of architectural and design visits to discover some of the city’s lesser-known locations, open exceptionally to the public during the event. These include an open day at architect’s and designer’s studios, to encounter the private places of Milan’s design professionals.

The following visits are part of the “Secret Milan” initiative:
A POSTWAR TOUR AMONG CULTIVATED PROFESSIONALISM
(organised by the Architects’ Association of the province of Milan)
Put together by Maria Vittoria Capitanucci and dedicated to the profession in Milan during the fifties and sixties, this initiative will concentrate on the architects to contributed to the wide spread of the culture of modernism, with visits to some of the residential buildings created by the architects of the so-called second generation of Lombard rationalism, including buildings by Giulio Minoletti, Luigi Ghò, Vito and Gustavo Latis.

THE VICO MAGISTRETTI TOUR
(organised by the Architects’ Association of the province of Milan)
Put together by Fulvio Irace and Federico Ferrari, this is a presentation of the work of the great Milanese architect and designer, demonstrating his desire to represent the city in buildings such as the Santa Maria Nascente church at QT8 and the Torre al Parco in Via Revere.
An architectural approach that moved away from sterile theoretical constructions to reach for an original “theory of praxis”. This tour will also take in the Piazza San Marco complex, the residential building in Via Conservatorio, the headquarters of the Fondazione Magistretti and the office building in Corso Europa.

The four tours (two for each itinerary, lasting around two hours) are on foot and tickets can be booked (a maximum of 30 people for each) at a cost of €10.
The tours will begin at the headquarters of the Ordine degli Architetti in Via Solferino 17 at 6 pm on Thursday 6, Friday 7 and Saturday 8 – after an aperitif – and at 11 am on Sunday 9, with a welcome coffee.
For information and bookings: tel. 02 62534390 – email: fondazione@ordinearchitetti.mi.it

MILANO DESIGN WEEKEND will be supported by an important communication campaign on Mondadori and RCS media.

The web site WWW.MILANO-DESIGNWEEKEND.IT has a full list of activities and other information about the event.

Epoca returns with a new special issue Che anni quegli anni ’60 (The fabulous ’60s), on newsstands from tomorrow, Friday 22 July.
Following the special editions dedicated to the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the beatification of Pope John Paul II, the historic Mondadori magazine, that became famous for a unique style based on investigations and reporting with photography as the protagonist, has produced an extraordinary and intense account of the sixties, a decade that changed our lives.
The fabulous sixties, the years of The Beatles, the Kennedys, Vietnam, the Italian economic boom, are brought back to life with prestigious images and texts from one of Italian journalism’s most authoritative and noble magazines. A journey into recent memory through the events, the revolutions and the people that characterised a decade.

The special issue of Epoca is organised in four thematic areas. It starts with Il mondo sottosopra (the world turned upside down), which looks at the impact of the movements on the great international chessboard, the Kennedy saga, the Cold War, the Paris May.
The second section, Odissea nella scienza (a scientific odyssey) with the space race as a metaphor for modernity, heart transplants and the great advances of medicine and an exception piece by Giuseppe Ungaretti on the moon landing. The great lifestyle transformations are outlined in Flower Power: fourteen pages dedicated to The Beatles with the first exclusive Italian interview with the Fab Four, the birth of Warhol’s pop art and big fashion.
Finally, in Il paese sospeso (a country suspended) from some of the most significant pages of recent Italian history, between the economic boom and the years of terrorism; from the Florence flood to the dolce vita of Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren; from the student revolt to the high altitude exploits of Walter Bonatti; from the flooding of Vajont to the Piazza Fontanta massacre, that essentially ended the decade.
Epoca – Che anni quegli anni ’60 is a homage to quality journalism, thanks to a careful selection of the best articles by the magazine’s journalists and a great many illustrious contributors including: Livio Caputo, Piero Chiara, Gianni Brera, Guido Gerosa, Jean Lartéguy, Giuseppe Grazzini, Livio Pesce, Pietro Zullino and Ernest Hemingway.

The new issue of Epoca, which thanks to the prestigious 150-page bound format will be an authentic collectors’ item, will be available at all newsstands from 22 July with a cover price of €7.90.

Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A. has today announced that, in the period between 11 and 15 July 2011, the company bought a total of 541,000 shares (corresponding to 0.2085% of the company’s share capital) on the automated share market at an average price of €2.28219 per share, for a total of €1,234,666.71, in the context of the authorisation of the company’s AGM, held on 21st April 2011 (previously communicated as per Art. 144 bis of Consob regulation 11971/1999), to effect share buy back operations.

The details of the operations, as conducted daily, are indicated below:

date N° of shares bought Weighted average price 11/07/2011 110,000 2.22902 12/07/2011 106,000 2.24066 13/07/2011 80,000 2.32952 14/07/2011 120,000 2.30891 15/07/2011 125,000 2.30827

Following these operations and taking account of the shares already in the portfolio, Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A. now directly holds 18,391,101 of the company’s shares (or 7.0890% of the share capital). A further 4,517,486 shares are hold by the subsidiary Mondadori Internarional S.A.
Consequently, as of today the total number of shares held now amounts to 22,908,587 (or 8.8304% of the share capital).

***

It should be noted that the Shareholders on 21st April 2011 authorised the buy back of a further 16,546,887 company shares, with respect to a total of 22,367,587 shares, already held, either directly or indirectly on the date of the authorisation issued by the AGM, permitting the attainment of the 15% limit on the existing share capital established by the Shareholders.
The authorisation is valid until the meeting for the approval of the Annual Report for the year to 31 December 2011.

In line with the Shareholders’ authorisation, buy backs are effected on regulated markets as per art. 132 of the legislative decree of 24 February 1998 n. 58 and art. 144 bis, para. 1, B of Consob regulation 11971/99 according to operating procedures established by the regulations for the organisation and management of the markets themselves, which does not permit the direct combination of offers to buy with predetermined offers to sell.

It should also be noted that, in terms of price and daily volumes, acquisition operations are conducted in line with the norms foreseen by the EU regulation 2273/2003, and that, in terms of daily volumes, the company will not purchase a quantity greater than 25% of the average daily volume of Mondadori shares traded on the regulated market and calculated on the basis of the average daily volume of trading of Mondadori shares in the 20 trading days prior to the dates of purchase.

The official summer for R101 opens with the Spiaggia 101 tour that will animate some of the most lively Italian seaside resorts: in fact, from 15 July to 28 August R101 will broadcast live from seven different beaches with lot of music, games and fun for all.

The tour will start in Emilia Romagna with a stop at Bellaria Igea Marina (FC) from 15 to 17 July and will continue across Italy, calling at Vasto (CH) from 22 to 24 July, Lignano Pineta (UD) from 29 to 31 July, Cefalù (PA) from 5 to 7 August, Pozzallo (RG) from 12 to 14 August, Margherita di Savoia (BT) from 19 to 21 August, before winding up in in Campania at Ascea (SA) from 26 to 28 August.

Spiaggia 101 is not only sun, sea and fun but an authentic village, comprising a stage and a number of areas with gazebos to host events, games, disco dancing with music from the’70s, ’80s and ’90s and a host of animation activities for all ages.

Broadcasting live from the R101 truck the station’s presenters will alternate at the different locations: Federico L’Olandese Volante (Bellaria Igea Marina and Pozzallo), Tamy T. (Vasto), Alberto Davoli (Lignano Pineta), Chiara Lorenzutti (Cefalù), Tamara Donà (Margherita di Savoia), Paolo Dini and Lester (Ascea).
At each location a large stage will be erected on which cabaret shows by Gene Gnocchi and live concerts by Francesco Baccini will alternate, while on Saturday Edoardo Bennato will perform, offering some of his greatest hits and some songs from his new album.
Information about the tour, along with pictures and video clips from each location are available of the web site www.r101.it.

Following the success of previous editions, the Spiaggia101 initiative, organised in collaboration with GM Communication of Milan, continues to be supported by numerous partners who will enhance each stop on the tour with a range of activities open to everyone.

On the stage during the day, alongside engaging games, there will be fashion shows for the new Parah Black Sun estate collection, you can learn the steps of the Inblu dance and, by taking part in the competition, win Inblu ballerinas, sandals and flip-flops. And the events will draw in young and old alike who can take up the challenge offered by Che Banca!, or games of skill provided by Shilogistic – CD Group (leader in logistics). And for those fascinated by technology, at the stand of NGM Mobile, you can discover what’s new in the world of mobile phones and pick up a number of beach gadgets. And if you want to test your limits, why not try to ride one of the top-of-the-range MTBs by Capriolo Cicli on the sand? Meanwhile, for the more laid back, there is a lounge area, complete with furniture by Grand Soleil.
Are cars your thing? Then why not take a test drive in one of the most recent KIA models?
At the Polase gazebo you can top up your mineral salts and celebrate the product’s 50th anniversary by taking part in a splendid competition. To fight the scorching heat of the sun and to keep healthy there is the quality fruit by Dole and Lipton Ice Tea is waiting for you to Join the Dance with its brand mango new green tea, launched in the summer of 2011.
Lacoste will be the tour’s technical partner providing equipment for the staff.
Spiaggia 101 also aims to provide an opportunity for reflection and to build awareness about energy consumption at the Edison gazebo, where you can discover how to make real savings on your domestic fuel bills, while Corepla (the national consortium for the re-cycling of plastic) will remind us of the advantages of separating household waste at the ecological gym.
The web site www.spiaggia101.it has a full list of radio frequencies and details about the event.

By 2012 Mondadori will launch five new international editions of Grazia.
The Grazia International Network (www.graziainternational.com), created in 2005, is a unique case in terms of the rapid development and quality in the offer, in the international magazine publishing industry.

There are currently 16 markets that have chosen Grazia whose unique and innovative formula has enable the magazine to become one of the leading international women’s fashion titles, alongside products from historic giants of magazine publishing such as Hearst and Condé Nast.
For the future, the Mondadori network has given itself even more ambitious objectives: to reach 30 international editions of Grazia by 2015.

“We are proud to have built in such a short time an international network linked to a brand with the quality and authority of Grazia, particularly in the context of a global scenario characterised by profound transformations for the publishing business,” declared Marina Berlusconi, chairman of the Mondadori Group. “This initiative confirms, once again, Mondadori’s vocation to grow in quality publishing,” concluded Marina Berlusconi.

“The most significant characteristic of our system is the high number of weeklies published in some of the most important markets for magazines, including Italy, France, Great Britain, Germany, Russia and Holland,” said Maurizio Costa, deputy chairman and chief executive of Mondadori. “This frequency of our relationship with readers is an extremely important element for the companies that invest in order to reach their public rapidly, with a significant impact on the success of their products in markets with high rates of growth,” concluded Costa.

Through Grazia Mondadori delivers around the world the best of made in Italy fashion and luxury goods, highlighting the excellence and quality of our business system.

In fact the network of Grazia editions generates an overall monthly circulation of more than 6.6 million copies around the world. The magazine is also published in China, Australia, India, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Indonesia, Thailand, Serbia, Croatia and Bulgaria.

GRAZIA GLOBAL CONFERENCE 2011
Today and tomorrow, more than 120 people – including editors, fashion editors, and representatives of the international publishing community and the world of fashion – coming to Italy from 20 countries, will join together for the Grazia Global Conference 2011, an international workshop organised by Mondadori at the Group’s headquarters in Segrate.
The Grazia Global Conference 2011 is an occasion to discuss the key issues facing publishing – from editorial content to digital, branding operations and new advertising solutions – and to reflect on the strengths and opportunities for the further growth of an historic Italian brand.

A number of figures representing some of the world’s leading luxury brands will also participate in the conference, including Diego Della Valle, President and CEO Tod’s; Remo Ruffini, President and Creative Director Moncler; Michele Norsa, CEO and Group Managing Director Salvatore Ferragamo; Gabriella Scarpa, Country General Manager LVMH Parfums & Cosmetiques, President Acqua di Parma and General Manager Dior Couture Italy; Isabella Capece Galeota, International PR Director & Events Louis Vuitton; as well as Marissa Evans, CEO and co-founder of Go Try It On, and Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi.

The Special guest of the Grazia Global Conference 2011 is Giorgio Armani.

“THE GRAZIA IT AWARDS”
“The Grazia It Awards”, created by the Grazia Global Conference, is an award given by the editors and fashion editors of the international network for three “must have” items, selected from among the collections of the most prestigious fashion designers.
Giorgio Armani stood out in the IT DRESS category with his Femme Blue collection.
The IT SHOES award went to Bruno Frisoni with his Ballerina model for Roger Vivier. While Karl Lagerfeld won the IT BAG category with his Mademoiselle bag for Chanel.
The three awards, produced by Patricia Urquiola, were presented by Carla Vanni, director of the Grazia International Network.