PARIS and BERLIN--(Marketwire - Jul 11, 2011) - The German press agency dapd has just purchased the French photopress agency Sipa Press from the Sud Communication group. The value of the transaction has been kept confidential. Sipa Press enjoys a great reputation in the world of press photography. Its international production, which has been honoured many times, has made it one of the world's most important agencies. Since 1973, Sipa Press, the French market leader, has specialised in political and economic news as well as the world of entertainment and sport. Every day, the agency distributes 6,000 images in more than 40 countries and has considerable historical archives.
dapd views this purchase as a strategic investment in building up its European network. "We intend to further reinforce the position of Sipa Press on the market and to conquer new segments by extending our product range," declared Martin Vorderwülbecke, co-owner of dapd.
Under the aegis of a company that is quite familiar with the market and its needs, Sipa Press will continue to develop as an autonomous brand. Its strong points will remain journalistic competence and the quality of its relationship with its customers. Katharina Doerk (45) and Ulf Schmidt-Funke (46) will take control of processes. They are responsible for photographic activities within the dapd group as managing partners of the agency ddp images. Heinrich Ollendiek (50), an expert in corporate restructuring, will assume management of Sipa Press with immediate effect. Mete Zihnioglu (54) will stay as deputy managing director.
"The dapd group is a good partner for Sipa Press, and will enable it to continue indefinitely and to diversify its activities in a market environment that is becoming increasingly difficult," declared Pierre-Yves Revol, President of the Board of Directors of the media group Sud Communication.
About dapd:
The press-agency group dapd, which has generated 27 million euros in turnover, serves almost 700 customers, providing them with complete reports involving text and images. Its customers include the majority of German dailies, countless magazines and periodicals, online media, television and radio channels, political parties and governments. dapd's headquarters are in Berlin. The dapd group was the result of the merger of the press agency ddp and the former German branch of the American agency The Associated Press (AP). To find out more, visit www.dapd.de.
About Sipa Press:
Sipa Press generated turnover of nearly 11 million euros in 2010 and offers almost 6,000 photos every day in more than 40 countries. 91 employees and more than 600 correspondents work throughout the year to produce news items covering all the essential areas of current affairs, ranging from international crises to the world of sport and entertainment as well as daily politics and the economy. Sipa Press has also set up distribution partnerships with other agencies such as The Associated Press, Rex Features in the UK and La Presse in Italy. Its Sipa Inc. subsidiary, based in New York, is in charge of sales and production on the American market. Sipa Press was founded in 1973 by the photojournalist Göksin Sipahioglu, and has been part of Sud Communication since 2001. To find out more, visit www.sipa.com.
About ddp images
ddp images is a young agency that is modern, mobile, quick and motivated. Customers can choose from more than 9 million images from all sorts of areas, including politics, the economy, entertainment, celebrities, daily life, trends and sport. Almost 6,000 photos are added each day. Thanks to an international network of partner agencies, a committed team of photographers and 20 employees in editorial offices in Hamburg, Frankfurt and Berlin, dailies, magazines, online media, television channels and advertisers can always count on the best and fastest service. ddp images GmbH, which has its headquarters in Hamburg, is a subsidiary of dapd media holding AG. The managing partners are Katharina Doerk and Ulf Schmidt-Funke. To find out more, visit www.ddpimages.com.