Franz Cornelsen Education Group provides learning services and creates and distributes educational materials for a market ranging from pre-school education to vocational training. The company is based in Germany.

The Group includes CornelsenVerlag, BayerischerSchulbuch- verlag, Oldenbourg, Brigg Pädagogik, Bibliographisches Institut, Verlag an der Ruhr, Veritas, Artemis & Winkler, Prögel, Cornelsen Experimenta and Calvendo. The publishing program has a list of 23,000 titles for all types of schools and subjects. Cornelsen is also Germany's leading calendar publisher.

Analysis & Key Developments

Financial

In fiscal 2015, Cornelsen experienced a drop in revenues from 285 million EUR in 2014 to 260 million EUR in 2015, a loss of 13.6% from the previous year.

Internal Organization

Cornelsen Holding is engaged in a restructuring process that began in 2015 when the company dismissed 215 employees based on a focus on the education segment.

Changes in Management

In December 2015, Cornelsen announced that Mark van Mierle, formerly responsible for the business operations of Life Science Solutions, will succeed Wolf-Rüdiger Feldmann as CEO of the Franz Cornelsen Bildungsholding, at the beginning of 2016. Van Mierle now also serves as Chairman of the managing board of the Cornelsen Schulverlage.

Divestment

In the last step of its strategic focus on the education market, Cornelson sold its calendar imprint KV&H to the Athesia Group (South Tyrol), in November 2015. The sale yielded a turnover of 34.1 million EUR.

Digital

During February 2015 Cornelson contracted readbox for content distribution. Cornelson’s e-books are produced and distributed through readbox, which is also advising on the development of a new business unit.

Return to the full listing of the world's largest publishers.