Audax Groep

Audax Groep is a Dutch print media and retail company, active also in Belgium. Its headquarters are located in Gilze. Audax was founded in 1958 by Jacques de Leeuw. Jacques de Leeuw led the company until 2017 when he was replaced by his son, Hubert de Leeuw. In 2019 he was replaced by Casper de Nooijer.[1] In 2020, Hubert de Leeuw took over the lead again.[1]

Audax Groep
TypeBesloten Vennootschap
IndustryPrint media, retail
Founded1958
FounderJacques de Leeuw
Headquarters
Gilze
,
Netherlands
Key people
Hubert de Leeuw, CEO
Productsmagazines, incl. HP/De Tijd
OwnersDe Leeuw family members
Websiteaudax.nl

Publishing

Audax Publishing publishes 11 magazines (figure for November 2020). Its most notables titles are HP/De Tijd, Weekend, Party, and Mijn Geheim. Most titles were acquired from the Finnish Sanoma concern. In 2018, Audax sold magazine publisher Cascade to DPG Media, parting from magazines Primo, Eos, Bahamontes, Motoren & Toerisme and For Girls Only.[2] But for Primo, DPG sold these magazines again.[3] Audux Publishing also produces and prints books, calendars, and flyers for other companies and builds websites.

AKO store in Dordrecht railway station

Retail

AKO

The Algemene Kiosk Onderneming (AKO) is a kiosk/bookstore chain with 72 stores throughout the Netherlands in November 2020. The company was founded in 1878 as the Amsterdamsche Kiosk Onderneming. Many shops are located at railway stations. A typical shop stores 1,500 books and 2000 magazines. Dutch and international newspapers, magazines, and books are sold. The stores also sell basic office supplies, greeting cards, lottery and football pool tickets, gift cards, tobacco products, light beverages, and sweets.

Bruna
Bruna store in Hoogezand.

Bruna is a Dutch bookseller. In addition to books it sells newspapers, magazines, stationery, computer software, and cards. In November 2020, Bruna operates 270 shops in the Netherlands. Bruna was founded in 1868.[4] The company was led by Henk Bruna from 1935 to 1982.[5] ֿIts head office was in Houten until spring 2019, when as a cost-cutting measure it relocated to Amsterdam.[6]

In early 2017, the book chain was in serious financial trouble; its main stockholders came to the rescue in February.[7][8] In December 2017 the company was acquired by the publisher Veen Bosch & Keuning (VBK).[9] In late 2019, the company was acquired by Audax, the parent company of competing bookseller Algemene Kiosk Onderneming (AKO).[4][10]

Former Marskramer store in Breda.
Read Shop Express in Stadskanaal.

Marskramer

Marskramer is a chain of 39 stores (in November 2020) that sell homeware. If the store is also a Toys2Play shop, it also sells toys. It was acquired by Audax in 2019 from the Mirage Retail Group.[11]

Novy

Novy is a homeware and appliances store, founded in 1997. It is a subsidiary of Marskramer with 15 stores (November 2020). These, too, often double as Toys2Play stores. By province:

  • Gelderland, North Brabant – 4 stores each
  • Friesland – 3 stores
  • North Holland, South Holland, Utrecht, Zeeland – 1 store each

Prima

Prima is a homeware and appliances store. It is a subsidiary of Marskramer with 26 stores (November 2020). By province:

  • South Holland – 7 stores
  • Limburg, North Brants, Utrecht and Zeeland – 3 stores each
  • Drenthe and Overijssel – 2 stores each
  • Friesland, Gelderland, North Holland – 1 store each

Prima stores often double as Toys2Play stores. For example, in Limburg 2 out of the 3 stores are also Toys2Play.

Read Shop

Read Shop is a network of 170 stores throughout the Netherlands that sell books, magazines, office supplies, tobacco products, and snacks.

References
  1. "Eigenaar Bruna en Marskramer stuurt ceo weg". RetailTrends. 26 September 2020.
  2. "De Persgroep Publishing en Medialaan nemen uitgeverij van EOS over". HLN. De Persgroep. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  3. "Uitgeverij achter Primo en Eos ontmanteld". De Tijd (in Dutch). 2019-04-29. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  4. (in Dutch) "Bruna overgenomen door moederbedrijf van concurrent AKO", De Volkskrant, 19 November 2019.
  5. (in Dutch) "Henk Bruna, oprichter Bruna-winkels, overleden", Radio Netherlands Worldwide, 26 February 2008, archived from the original on 6 June 2008.
  6. (in Dutch) Peet Vogels, "Bruna wil 100 nieuwe winkels, 'we zijn geen grijze muis meer'", Algemeen Dagblad, 18 April 2019.
  7. (in Dutch) "Aandeelhouders PostNL en ING schieten Bruna te hulp", NU.nl, 14 February 2017.
  8. (in Dutch) Alexander Leeuw, "Nu ook Bruna in zwaar weer", Nederlands Dagblad, 16 February 2017 (subscription required).
  9. (in Dutch) Hanneke Chin-A-Fo and Toef Jaeger, "Winkelketen Bruna overgenomen door uitgeefconcern VBK", NRC Handelsblad, 6 December 2017 (subscription required).
  10. (in Dutch) Floor Bouma, "Bruna en AKO-moederbedrijf Audax gaan samen verder", NRC Handelsblad, 18 November 2019.
  11. "Audax kiest voor winkels: is het mediabedrijf gek geworden?". RTL Nieuws. 25 April 2019.
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