Aschendorff
| Aschendorff
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| legal form | GmbH & Co. KG |
| founding | 1720 |
| Seat | Muenster |
| management | Benedikt Hüffer, Eduard Hüffer |
| Number of employees | 750 |
| Branch | media |
| Website | www.aschendorff.de |
The Aschendorff group of companies under the umbrella of Aschendorff GmbH & Co. KG is a media company in Münster that belongs to Westfälische Medien Holding AG . It emerged from the family business Aschendorff Verlag , which had existed in Münster since 1720, in the course of restructuring in 1999 . The main products of the Aschendorff Group are the daily newspapers of the Münster newspaper group ( Westfälische Nachrichten and Münstersche Zeitung / Grevener Zeitung), free newspapers, digital media and magazines.
Aschendorff is the largest media company in Münster and in the Münster administrative district . It is now owner-managed in the ninth generation. The managing directors have been the great cousins J. Benedikt Hüffer and Eduard Hüffer since 1999.
Company structure
Business areas
- Daily newspapers
- Free newspapers / advertising papers
- Direct distribution
- Book publisher
- Digital news products
- Local radio
- Trade journals
- Printing services
- Logistics / direct distribution
subsidiary company
- Aschendorff media
- Aschendorff Verlag (book publisher)
- Aschendorff Printing Center (formerly Druckhaus Aschendorff)
- Aschendorff logistics
- Aschendorff Direct
- Aschendorff NEXT
history
Founding of the publishing house in the 18th century
In 1720 Wilhelm Aschendorff opened a bookshop on Bergstrasse in Münster and published his own works. From 1750 the Münsterische Staatsrelation , published by son Anton Wilhelm, was published , and from 1763 onwards, the Münster Intelligence Gazette appeared twice a week with a circulation of 500. Another focus of the publishing house was the production of academic books with a focus on theology , regional and cultural history , which were produced in the company's own print shop, which was built in 1762.
In the first half of the 19th century, Johann Hermann Hüffer , son of the last Aschendorff daughter, Sophia, began publishing the Münsterischer Anzeiger . This is still the core of the city edition of the Westfälische Nachrichten .
Company development in the 20th century
In 1912 Aschendorff purchased a piece of land behind the Münster main station . The building on Soester Straße, which still characterizes Münster's station district today, was the headquarters of the publishing company from 1912 to 2008. Due to the economic upswing and the growing population in Münster, the company developed very well and also became an important school book publisher .
After the Second World War , Aschendorff got a new license to publish a newspaper in Münster. The first edition of the Westfälische Nachrichten appeared on August 3, 1946 , and was initially printed in Oelde , as the rotation in Münster had been destroyed during a bombing raid. Three years later, thanks to the intensive cooperation of the employees, it was possible to print again in Münster. In the following year, the Westfälische Nachrichten merged with local publishing houses in the Münsterland region to form the "Zeitungsverlagsgesellschaft Nordwestdeutschland" (ZENO), now the Münsterland newspaper group (ZGM).
In the mid-1980s, as a result of the strong circulation development, the publishing house in the city center of Münster became too small. The company built a new printing and service center in the district of Mecklenbeck An der Hansalinie in the immediate vicinity of the A 1 motorway , the Aschendorff printing house. The existing printing press from the publishing house was initially installed there and used again.
Restructuring from 1999
After J. Benedikt Hüffer and Eduard Hüffer took over the management of the publishing house in 1999, the publishing house began to be restructured. By renaming the previous company, several subsidiaries were created, which are now collectively referred to as the Aschendorff Group.
At the turn of the millennium, the latest technology for printing and postpress was installed in the printing center on the Hansalinie. One of the most modern printing houses in the world was created.
In 2007 and 2008, the printing center was converted into company headquarters, which has since housed almost all company departments. The main building on Soester Strasse is largely rented today, but still houses the Aschendorff Verlag (book publisher) and the Münster-Stadt local editorial office of the Westfälische Nachrichten.
The Aschendorff Group has been a shareholder in the online marketing agency qualitytraffic GmbH with locations in Bielefeld and Münster since January 2017. With the majority stake, the publisher is expanding its own portfolio and expanding the digital business. Qualitytraffic GmbH has been operating as Think11 Operations GmbH with locations in Bielefeld, Münster, Osnabrück, Garrel and Berlin since July 2020.
On January 1, 2019, the Aschendorff Group brought its media business in the areas of daily newspapers, advertising papers, printing and radio together with the Westfalen-Blatt from Bielefeld as part of a merger into a joint Westfälische Medien Holding AG. The Westfalen-Blatt brought its entire business into this new holding company. Under the umbrella of Westfälische Medien Holding AG, the structures of both companies in Münsterland and East Westphalia will remain unchanged as part of this merger.
With the sale of qualitytraffic GmbH to the MarTech agency Think11 GmbH from Osnabrück in March 2020, the latter now takes over the majority stake in the online marketing agency. In July qualitytraffic GmbH changed its name to Think11 Operations GmbH.
literature
- Bernd Haunfelder : 250 years of Druckhaus Aschendorff 1762–2012 . Aschendorff, Münster 2012, ISBN 978-3-402-13004-9 (247 (VIII) pages).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ On our own behalf: Neue Westfälische Medien Holding bundles journalistic activities. In: Westfälische Nachrichten. Aschendorff Medien GmbH & Co. KG, January 4, 2019, accessed on January 5, 2019 .
- ↑ Think11 takes over majority in qualitytraffic GmbH . In: Think11.de , March 18, 2020, accessed on August 6, 2020.
- ↑ Change of name finalized. qualitytraffic GmbH becomes Think11 Operations GmbH . In: Think11.de , July 23, 2020, accessed on August 6, 2020.
Coordinates: 51 ° 55 ′ 35 ″ N , 7 ° 33 ′ 29 ″ E