The lights are red on the side of the Le Monde group . Due in particular to the coronavirus health crisis and the bankruptcy of Presstalis, the group assesses its shortfall for 2020 at 30 million euros, according to an internal message that AFP was able to consult, confirming information from La Press correspondence . This deterioration represents "more than three years of operating profit" for the group, specifies this message signed by President Louis Dreyfus and Director Jérôme Fenoglio.
In detail, the bankruptcy of the distributor Presstalis resulted in an immediate loss of 7 million euros, "corresponding to all of the revenue that we should have received for sales in kiosks of the last two months, to which s' add a contribution to social liabilities of around 5.8 million euros. "
A shortfall of 15 million euros
Added to this are the effects of a strike which, since May 12, has affected the distribution of newspapers in newsstands in large metropolitan areas in the south-east and the Lyon region. In parallel, the group suffered “a sharp fall in advertising in the 2nd quarter, on paper as well as on digital, as well as a complete cessation of event activities. "Today we are not seeing any signs of recovery and the shortfall envisaged for fiscal year 2020 is estimated at 15 million euros," say the managers.
“The dropout that we are experiencing therefore may not be temporary. The coming months and years will require continuing the transformation of our operating methods by continuing to adapt to the changing uses of our readers and by increasing our recruitment of digital subscribers, ”they stress.
The group in negotiations for a loan of 17 million euros
The group is negotiating a loan guaranteed by the State in the amount of 17 million euros as well as a contribution from the shareholders (Xavier Niel, Matthieu Pigasse, Daniel Kretinsky, Prisa) who would intervene at the start of the school year in order to "avoid a immediate cash crisis ”.
The group, which has just moved into its new Paris headquarters near the Austerlitz train station, has also negotiated with its lessor credit to postpone its first quarterly installments. While calling for "extreme vigilance over each commitment to spend", the leaders stress that they will honor "the annual collective increases discussed with the unions. "
Beneficiary in 2019 (net profit of 2.6 million euros) the group publishes, in addition to the newspaper Le Monde , the magazines Courrier international , Télérama , La Vie , Le Monde Diplomatique . He also owns L'Obs .
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