HFP hands SCPE to Gérard Ponson

Hachette Filipacchi Press and Gérard Ponson, director of publications and chairman and CEO of SCPE (Société de Conception de Presse et d’Edition), have reached an agreement on the closure of SCPE, the publisher of Entrevue and Choc magazines.

This closure will take immediate effect.
As part of its Press Magazine activities in France, this move will allow Lagardère Active to:

• Refocus on the strategic segments identified by the organization, including major weeklies and women’s, lifestyle, current affairs, human interest and entertainment publications.
• Improve its profile in terms of growth and profitability.

Bruno Lesouef, managing director of publications at Lagardère Active, comments: “Entrevue has been a true success story among magazines and a pioneer in terms of breaking down the world of TV. However, the group no longer includes the male press market in its development strategy. A publisher with greater focus on this segment will be perfectly positioned to ensure that Entrevue’s editorial concept continues to move forward while the magazine develops worldwide.”

Gérard Ponson, director of publications and CEO of SCPE, notes: “HFP has provided me with a wonderful education, but as with any other school you have to know when to leave. This is a very important period for our titles, among which Entrevue remains the leading French monthly in terms of NMPP sales. The market is a complicated one, while the press industry is simultaneously experiencing a crisis and a revolution in mindsets and means of consumption. […] For a multimedia group such as my own, some major opportunities are presenting themselves, with the Entrevue.fr site welcoming 1,350,000 unique visitors (source: Nielsen) while the magazine remains the undisputed leader in its segment.”