Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A. informs that on today’s date, in line with its non-core assets disposal plan, it has completed the sale of 80% of Monradio S.r.l.’s share capital to R.T.I. S.p.A. and the sale to Harlequin Italia S.r.l. of the entire interest held, through Mondadori Libri S.p.A., in the joint venture Harlequin Mondadori S.p.A. for a total amount, cashed today, of euro 45.1 million.

The two transactions, increasing the availability of the consolidated financial resources, contribute to support the future development of the Group and its competitive position in the core businesses, consistently with the strategic guidelines announced during the year.

In detail, the sale agreement of 80% of Monradio’s share capital was signed today with R.T.I. (Mediaset Group) for a total price of euro 36.8 million (cash/debt free), according to the terms included in the information document regarding transactions of greater relevance with related parties disclosed to the public on 24 September 2015.
In 2014 Monradio contributed to the Group’s consolidated financials revenues of euro 11.7 million and a negative EBITDA of euro 4.4 million[1].

The sale of the 50% interest held by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, through Mondadori Libri, in Harlequin Mondadori to Harlequin Italia (HarperCollins Publishers) was also finalised today.
Established in 1980, Harlequin Mondadori is a 50/50 joint venture operating in the women’s fiction mainly through the sale of the series Harmony in the newsstand channel.
In 2014 the company, consolidated on an equity basis, generated revenues of euro 9.1 million with a net profit of euro 1.0 million.
The value of the transaction amounts to euro 8.3 million, including an adjusted NFP (for 50%) positive for euro 1.6 million.

[1] Pursuant to IFRS5, the Group’s radio business was qualified as “discontinued operations” already in the income statement for the first half of 2015. Therefore, Monradio’s result in the period was recognized under item “result from discontinued operations”, which includes the writedown of Monradio’s assets equal to euro 7.1 million in order to align the value to the fair value resulting from the transaction (euro 46 million for 100%).

Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A. informs that pursuant to article 5 of Consob Regulation No. 17221/2010 and subsequent amendments, an information document regarding transactions of greater relevance with related parties has been made available in relation to the transfer – approved by the Company’s Board of Directors on today’s date (following the positive opinion given by the Committee of the independent directors on the transactions with related parties pursuant to Consob Regulation and the procedures adopted by the Company) – of 80% of Monradio S.r.l.’s share capital (a company fully owned by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A.) to R.T.I. S.p.A. (a company fully owned by Mediaset S.p.A. and subject also to the joint control with Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A.).

The transaction qualifies as a “transaction of greater relevance” as the relevance indexes pursuant to article 4, par. 1, letter a) of the aforementioned Consob Regulation are exceeded and endorsed on a 2.5% ratio in the Procedure adopted by the Board of Directors of Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A..

The information document regarding the transaction above is made available at the Company’s legal offices, on the Company’s web site www.gruppomondadori.it (Governance section) and on the authorized storage web site www.1info.it.

Cracking Art, a group of artists known around the world for over twenty years for their installations of giant animals in recyclable coloured plastic, has chosen the Niemeyer Building, the headquarters of the Mondadori Group, as the stage for a spectacular collective installation of their works.

The art proposed by Cracking Art is colourful, lively, original and interactive, and designed for real contact with the public. All of the creations are characterised by an innovative use of plastic materials: recycling plastics means avoiding toxic and environmentally devastating disposal and making works of art which is then placed in urban, monumental and historical contexts means communicating by means of an innovative aesthetic language, and expressing a special sensitivity towards nature, support for cultural organisations and the recovery of historical sites and monuments. Hence the slogan Art that regenerates art, which has been used for years to present the colourful invasion called Rigeneramento (Regeneration).

Cracking Art has already made 375 invasions of giant animals all over the world: from Bangkok to Moscow, New York and Brussels, as well as Milan, Rome, Florence and Trieste, before arriving today at the Niemeyer Building in Segrate, on the outskirts of Milan. Thanks to this initiative – promoted by Mondadori Portfolio, the Mondadori photo agency and a partner of Cracking Art – the Niemeyer Building will be embellished by more than 280 gigantic works of art depicting wolves, frogs, snails, meerkats and swallows.

The creations will be placed all around the headquarters of the Mondadori Group: the pillars and paving of the building designed by Oscar Niemeyer, and the waterfront and park by landscape architect Pietro Porcinai. The installations of giant animals will also be the focus of a series of activities involving the Mondadori brands, including an exclusive cocktail party La moda fa bene all’arte (Fashion is good for art) organised by Grazia International Network in collaboration with Cracking Art.

The message of the Cracking Art animals

The artists of Cracking Art artists decided to invade the headquarters of Mondadori with five types of animals, each with a colour and a specific meaning:

– The wolf communicates the idea of ​​the herd, of acting for the common good, but also solidity and individual strength;

– The meerkat is a social animal and transmits an idea of ​​endurance thanks to its capacity for cooperation;

– The frog symbolises a metamorphosis, the transformation and the connection between water and the earth. It is the most onomatopoeic of animals: from croak, croak – stagnation; to cracking, cracking – movement.

– The snail, a highly topical animal because its home is associated with communication, the symbol a e-mail, and recalls the organ we use to hear, and therefore the gift of hearing;

– Finally, the swallow suggests the idea of ​​travel but, at the same time, also of coexistence, because it nests in inhabited houses.

Cracking Art Group

Six international artists, who since the birth of the Cracking Art Movement in 1993 with the exhibition Epocale in Milan, curated by Tommaso Trini and Luca Beatrice, underline the Group’s intention to change the history of art through a marked social and environmental commitment combined with a revolutionary and innovative use of plastic materials that evoke the close relationship between the natural and the artificial.

Flair, the upscale women’s magazine of the Panorama system, edited by Michele Lupi, evolves in terms of content and format with an even more engaging personality. From the issue published on 24 September, the magazine will appear a more pop, creative and lively layout, a simpler structure and a broader format, the same as Icon.

Changes that confirm the magazine’s upmarket positioning, while at the same time projecting it towards a wider and more immediate use.

Flair is an authentic creative hub capable of uniting around the title some of the most important international talent and new generations of creatives in photography, fashion and writing, who now extend their scope to celebrities and top models alongside the usual cover models. Indeed photography remains a major focus of the magazine and Flair will continue to work with leading international artists as well as continuing to discover and develop emerging talent from both the international and Italian scene.

There is also a reconfiguration of the content with more space, in terms of quantity and quality, in fashion and beauty in the first part of the magazine and a rationalization of the various sections. The main fashion stories section opens with a hard cover on which the subject of the cover of Flair is reinterpreted by different artists. Even greater attention is devoted to fashion brands, with an appreciation and enhancement at the level of styling of the peculiarities of each designer, in order to offer readers a sophisticated and complete experience style experience.

The protagonist of the new issue are the iconic model Mariacarla Boscono, who is featured on the cover, the Hollywood actress Amber Heard and Wanda Ferragamo, a legend of Italian elegance. Alongside pictures by international photographers like Ezra Petronio, space is also given to masters of creativity such as Elaine Constantine and Nobuyoshi Araki; while for fiction, Flair spoke to Jonathan Franzen about his new novel just published in America.

2015 is a year of evolution for Flair that began in February when it became a stand-alone title, sold separately from Panorama for the first three weeks of availability at a cover price of €3.50, before being offered in combination with the weekly in the last week of the month of reference, at a combined price of €3. The magazine’s international distribution continues to expand (already launched in January 2015 with text in English) at major newsstands and airports in Paris, London, Berlin, New York, Los Angeles and Seoul. The luxury edition will also be available at some of the world’s most prestigious bookstore, such as Colette in Paris and My Boon and Boon the Shop in Seoul.

After New York, from 19 to 27 September, London will host the second of INTERNI’s International Design Appointments, What is Best – Who is Next. INTERNI, the interiors and contemporary design magazine edited by Gilda Bojardi, has been for over sixty years the voice of Italian design and is presenting “INTERNI Design Aperitivo”: a cycle of events to openly debate international design and Italian business in collaboration with the Salone del Mobile.Milano, the most important international furniture and design fair, and Ice-Agenzia.

These public events will be held in the flagship stores of some of the most interesting Italian brands, which will be transformed for the occasion into authentic stages where the guests – including some of the most important international studios based in London – will talk about their design philosophies as compared with the knowledge and history of Italian design.

“The protagonist of these conferences is design, in the sense of a universal language for contemporary living,” said Gilda Bojardi. “We are facing a more open concept of living that permeates every area of the city, both public and private. If the twentieth century was the century of modernism, the twenty-first century is opening up to new languages in which individual values are moving in the direction of a search for more widespread wellbeing. A mission that is easily recognizable in both furniture design and in the creative world, where architects and designers are interpreting highly innovative solutions in line with their own philosophical and design vision,” the editor concluded.

For full details and a complete list of the events, please go to: www.internimagazine.com.

The Sale&Pepe School of Cooking, created on the experience of the magazine edited by Laura Maragliano, returns after the summer break in its new headquarters in the centre of Milan with a full calendar of courses and initiatives and numerous new features for adults, children and young people who want to try out their #talentoincucina (talent in the kitchen) in and innovative and technological location.

Wellbeing at the table

A cycle of 5 events will start on 28 September dedicated to health: dietician and nutritional scientist Carla Lertola, alongside chefs from the Sale&Pepe school, will demonstrate how to combine taste and healthy with balanced menus suitable for every occasion, from “Sunday lunch with the in-laws” to a “Sex & the City evening dinner party with friends”, with an eye on the nutritional value of ingredients and without overlooking the pleasures of the table.

Designer chocolate

Those with a sweet tooth can’t miss the classes, starting on 1 October, ABC Pastries: getting your hands in the flour like never before. A course in 5 step-by-step lessons to learn the basics of pastry cooking with an exceptional instructor: Davide Comaschi, Master Pastry Chef and World Champion Chocolatier at the World Chocolate Master. Perfect puff pastry, ultra-soft sponges, delicate bignè and the most delicious creams, concluding with the speciality of Davide Comaschi: food of the Gods, chocolate. Enthusiasm, sleeves rolled up, energy and attention to the advice of Davide Comaschi are all you need to learn to take your first steps in the world of pastry cooking and win over the sweetest tooth among you friends and family.

For a complete calendar of the events in the programme and full details about enrolment, please visit: www.scuoladicucina.it.

Sale&Pepe Scool of Cooking

at Ca’puccino, lower ground floor, Piazza Armando Diaz 5, 20123 Milano (M1/M3 Duomo)

tel: 02 75 42 33 00 – info.scuoladicucina@mondadori.it

#talentoincucina

From today Simonetta Bocca has taken up the position of director of human resources and organisation of the Mondadori Group, reporting directly to the chief executive Ernesto Mauri.

Born in Biella in 1963, Simonetta Bocca has a degree in mathematics and information science from the University of Turin. She began her career at Alenia Aeronautica in 1987, with increasing responsibilities in the planning and control, total quality, business processes, reengineering and organisation areas.

She joined Fiat Auto in 1998 as head of Processes, organisation and IT systems for the suppliers and manufacturing areas and, from 2000, of the sales and marketing areas in Italy and Europe. In 2002 she moved to Aprilia and Moto Guzzi (the Piaggio Group) as head of human resources, organisation and strategic planning. She was subsequently appointed head of human resources staff and organisation, development, training and internal communications at Trenitalia; before joining the Coin – Upim Group, as head of human resources, organisation, ICT and legal affairs.

In 2011 she was appointed vice president for human resources and organisation at Seda International Packaging Group for the creation of a new company in the United States. In 2015 she became group senior vice president for human resources, organisation and ICT at Nicotra Gebhardt CBI Group with the position of chief executive of Industrie CBI and CBI Service.

A cosmetics brand, Shiseido, and an international women’s magazine, Grazia, are collaborating for the first time in a daily TV show to comment on all the red carpet events, the looks and outfits of the foreign and Italian celebrities participating in the event, as well as all the gossip and behind-the-scenes goings-on.

“Venice Today” will be aired daily from 2nd September at 7pm on IRIS, Channel 22, the Mediaset digital channel dedicated to high quality cinema. The PROGRAMME will be hosted by a sparkling Tamara Donà ready to welcome and interview opinion leaders, actors and special guests. The show will be recorded in the “Shiseido & Grazia Privé” lounge, set up in Angelo Quarti’s and Andrea Rossi’s Venice Movie Star Lounge where the casts of the most important films will be in attendance for their junkets.

The location is Villa Laguna with its wonderful view over Venice and spectacular sunsets that will win over the Italian and foreign stars. Guests include Alberto Noè, President of Shiseido Italia whose strong vision is behind the innovative format. “It is a highly ambitious experiment in cross-mediality which we have created in collaboration with high quality names such as Publitalia, Grazia and the Venice Festival,” Noè says. “We want to talk about lifestyle and the world of film, but using a brand new language of beauty and fashion while involving television, the press, internet and special events contemporarily. In fact, we are sponsoring all the movie brunches offered to the delegations of the various films that will be stopping by at the Venice Movie Star Lounge».

Some of the films hosted by the Venice Movie Star Lounge

Spotlight by Thomas Mc Carthy, The childhood of a Leader by Brady Corbet A bigger splash by Luca Guadagnino, Anomalisa by Charlie Kaufman, Remember by Ato, Egoyan, Taj-Mahal by Nicholas Saada.

Among the other guests confirmed as well as Alberto Noè: Grazia’s director Silvia Grilli, Shiseido make up artist Pablo Ardizzone, stylist Ildo Damiano, not to mention many other surprise actors to be discovered daily when you tune into Iris Channel 22 on digital to follow “Venice Today”.

St-Art, artist of the month is the latest cultural project by Mondadori Store, developed in collaboration with Milo Goj’s Art Relation, which aims to present and enhance the reputations of young artists while also expanding the audience for contemporary art.

From 8 September, and then every month, until March 2016, a young exponent of the contemporary art scene will be the protagonist of an month-long exhibition at the Mondadori Megastore in Piazza Duomo in Milan. The first seven artists are three Italian – Marco Abisso, Giovanni Manzoni Piazzalunga and Stefany Savino – and four non-Italian – Alban Met Hasani, Jang Sung An, Kalina Danailova and Lucia Guadalupe Guillen, all of whom have trained in Italy at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts.

The cycle of seven exhibitions will begin 8 September at 6pm with Marco Abisso, a Milanese sculptor and painter, with a music-inspired show that will run until 11 October 2015. In his work Abisso tries to re-establish a symbolic value in the romantic gesture of creating an manufactured object. The artist will also use a live performance to interact with the public using his artistic language to bend and beat sheet metal.

Each show will be inaugurated with a performance by the artist who will complete, in front of an audience, a work-in-progress – a painting, installation or digital form – inspired by a specific theme: from music to fashion, to literature, to travel. The finished works will then be put on sale in an effort to bring a wider public closer to art.

“In the contemporary world it is important to support the creative explorations of young artists with fresh ideas and hopes,” said Giacinto di Pietrantonio – curator and art expert who will introduce the Marco Abisso exhibition tomorrow. “This is what is at the heart of St-Art, Artist of the month, promoted by Mondadori Store, a project that brings young artists into direct contact with the public and offers a space to discuss and debate new ideas and forms also for the future. And also to understand, through exposure to the work, the and emerging new trends.”

Patron of the St-Art, Artist of the Month project is the artist Marco Lodola, who, for the Mondadori Megastore in Piazza Duomo, created Eden, a neon installation that can be seen on the façade of the store and which represents a luminous, a female symbol of an uncontaminated Eden holding a red apple, the colour of passion. A precise reference to the large illuminated advertising signs that from 1915 onwards appeared on the facades of the buildings around Piazza Duomo until they were forcibly removed in 1999.

ST-ART, ARTIST OF THE MONTH

Mondadori Megastore, Piazza Duomo Milano

Open from: 9am – 11pm

Entrance: free

For a complete calendar of the exhibitions go to: mondadoristore.it

#StartInStore