About:

Saraiva is a leading publisher and bookseller in Brazil, offering a complete catalogue of elementary and high school textbooks, readers, law books, business administration, economics, business literature, and accounting books. The company claims a domesitc market share of 20.5% in professional and technical books and 12.6% in textbooks.

The retail branch of Saraiva is the largest bookstore chain in Brazil, with 97 stores and 5 franchises (as of March 2010), and is pioneering the “Super Store” concept in Brazil, with a product mix including books, CDs, DVDs, stationery, periodicals, and information technology. With its internet platform Saraiva.com.br, Saraiva operates one of the country’s largest online book stores, which is integrated with the physical stores yet offers a larger mix of products.

History:

Saraiva was founded in 1914 by Joaquim Ignácio da Fonseca Saraiva, who had already worked in a bookstore in Porto, the “Biblioteca do Cura da Aldeia” (the Bookstore of the Village’s Priest). In 1947, following a sequence of editional successes, the company became a limited liability corporation, with the name of Saraiva S.A. – Livreiros Editores.

In 1994, reaffirming its pioneering reputation with legal publications, Saraiva released the “LIS – Legislação Informatizada Saraiva” (Saraiva Computerized Legislation), a database in CD-ROM format containing federal legislation that is equivalent to 40 printed volumes. Editora Saraiva proceeds to publish paradidactic books, complementary educational works for diverse subjects that compose lower, middle and high school education.

In 2000, Saraiva launched its ecommerce platform. In 2007, Saraiva acquired the educational publisher Pigmento Editorial S.A, and Siciliano S.A. in 2008. On November 30, 2008, the holding company Livraria Saraiva was incorporated by the controlled company Siciliano. This reverse incorporation resulted in the creation of a new company, Saraiva e Siciliano.

Key company developments in 2011 & 1st half year 2012

Financial:

In 2011, the development of Brazil's economy and the successful participation in the country's National Textbook Program brought Saraiva Group a net growth of 21% to 1.9 billion BRL, followed by another 11% in the 1st quarter of 2012. The National Textbook Program is a total contract for the supply of books to public elementary and high schools, amounting to 205.5 million BRL.

In the Private Teaching System Division, the number of enrolled students grew by 36.5%.

Overall net revenue grew from 733.5 million BRL in 2007 continually to its level of 1.89 billion BRL in 2011. The publishing arm accounted for 24% of the revenue and 45% of the consolidated EBITDA.

Ownership, mergers & acquisition, internal organization:

Investments in new textbook collections for elementary and high school students enabled Editora to grab a significant share in the National Textbook Program, with a total contract for the supply of books to public elementary and high schools amounting to 205.5 million BRL.

Since 2009, Editora sells complete solutions in the Teaching System format for the private network in all educational segments, from child education to the pre-university entrance exam level.

International:

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Digital:

Saraiva Editora continues to invest in multimedia solutions for elementary and high schools, with programs such as the Saraiva Conecte collection, a platform that integrates physical media and digital content to provide a complete solution for high school students. Saraiva Conecte offers digital educational content and assessment tools that, together with the printed media, add value to traditional teaching-learning methods.

Bestselling authors & titles:

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Key points for analysis & conclusions:

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Earlier developments:

The Company´s revenues fluctuates year-on-year. according to this Federal Government purchase cycle. In 2011, the Government purchased books for students enrolled in public schools from 6th to 9th grades (Saraiva´s market share was around 15%, which yielded a 141 million BRL contract). In 2010, the Government purchased books for public school students enrolled from 1st to 5th grades (Saraiva´s market share was around 12%, resulting in a 88 million BRL contract).

2010 has again seen significant growth, driven by successful new releases, including titles that managed to perform well in the Government Purchasing Program for 6th to 9th grades, resulting in revenues up to 415 million BRL by 2010 (from 335.8 million BRL in 2009).

The Saraiva and Siciliano retail chains had revenues of 1.6 billion BRL in 2010 (up from 1.2 million BRL in 2009, and 827 million BRL in 2008).

Note: Figures are based on sales generated in calendar 2011 or—for corporations with a fiscal year—from fiscal 2011. Data are from publicly available sources and include sales of books, journals, and digital products. Because publishing data were unavailable, Pannini and Disney/Hyperion are excluded from the rankings. The listing and publisher profiles were compiled by international publishing consultant Rudiger Wischenbart under the aegis of Livres Hebdo.