PW: AMS Acquires Australian Distributor

Advanced Marketing Services has completed the acquisition of Bookwise International, a specialty-book distributor to more than 2,500 accounts in Australia and New Zealand. The company, which had sales of A$6.3 million ($4.1 million) in the year ended June 30, 1999, will continue to be run by current management led by managing director Rod Davis.

Michael Nicita, president and CEO of AMS, told PW AMS plans to use Bookwise as a platform to expand its operations into the Pacific Rim. "We will invest in Bookwise not only to expand their domestic operations but also to grow their international business," Nicita explained. Nicita would not specify which Pacific markets AMS is targeting, but he acknowledged that AMS is "bullish on overseas opportunities." He noted that over the past two years the company has made four acquisitions, all of which involved international companies.

The Bookwise purchase is also part of AMS's strategy to offer complete publisher fulfillment services, including direct to the consumer, on a global basis. Nicita said that while AMS offers limited direct-to-consumer services now, it plans on expanding those services in all its markets, including the U.S.