Press Release: Swets Blackwell acquires John Smith subscriptions as Coutts takes over Martinus Nijhoff book division Sarah Kellman 22 Mar 2002 14:39 UTC
Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 18:43:40 +0100 From: Sarah Kellman <skellman@SWETS.NL> Subject: Swets Blackwell acquires John Smith subscriptions as Coutts takes over Martinus Nijhoff book division PRESS RELEASE Swets Blackwell acquires John Smith subscriptions as Coutts takes over Martinus Nijhoff book division Today Coutts Library Services Ltd and Swets Blackwell announced an acquisition agreement between their respective books and journal subscription divisions. Coutts have acquired the books division of Martinus Nijhoff International from Swets Blackwell and, as part of the agreement, Swets Blackwell have taken over John Smith's journal subscription business from the Coutts Group. In the short term, the priority for both Coutts and Swets Blackwell is to ensure that customers are informed of developments and that there be no interruptions to services. Ultimately, the agreement enables both companies to focus on providing their customers with even better services in their respective areas of expertise. James Gray, CEO of Coutts, said: "We are delighted to include Martinus Nijhoff books business as part of the Coutts Group. Both Coutts and Martinus Nijhoff customers will benefit from an even greater range of integrated services and more focused investment as a result of the two companies joining forces. This acquisition is a positive step into gaining a larger share of the European market and we are looking forward to developing this sector of our business". Geert Visscher, CEO of Swets Blackwell, added: "We are very pleased to have acquired the John Smith journal subscriptions business from Coutts. The addition of their prestigious clients will complement and solidify our existing customer base in the UK and the rest of the world. As Swets Blackwell's core services involve access, management and distribution of journals rather than books, this practical, logical arrangement will benefit all parties involved." Coutts Information Services Ltd was established in 1969, with a view to providing book supply services and innovative value-added services to aid collection development, such as approvals and new title profiling. During the 1990's Coutts developed full shelf-ready services together with on-line selection and acquisition facilities. The company evolved from the merger of BMBC Ltd (UK), Coutts Library Services Inc (USA) and John Coutts Library Services Ltd (Canada). The group formally came together in August 2000 to create a global library supply company. Martinus Nijhoff was founded in the Hague in 1853. From its beginnings as a small shop, Nijhoff's activities were broadened in the ensuing years to include the serving of library markets around the world. John Smith & Son, founded in 1751, is the oldest independent bookseller in Scotland. It supplies books to libraries worldwide and runs a chain of award winning academic bookshops. Both companies carry with them expertise and knowledge of their markets along with a tradition of excellent customer service. Swets Blackwell is one of the world's largest providers of subscription and information management solutions. They offer a wide range of services to their 60,000 corporate, academic, R&D, medical, and government library and information center clients worldwide, whose ranks include 30% of Fortune 500 companies. Swets Blackwell works in partnership with 65,000 major publishers and suppliers of professional information. They have annual revenue in excess of US$1 billion and a staff of nearly 1,000 employees worldwide. Their head office is located in Lisse, the Netherlands, and they maintain offices in 21 countries across six continents. # # # Press Contacts: Swets Blackwell Sarah Kellman, Communications Executive Tel: +31 (0)252 435 584 press@nl.swetsblackwell.com <mailto:press@nl.swetsblackwell.com> Coutts Michelle Barker, Marketing Manager Tel: + 44 (0)1425 471160 mbarker@couttsinfo.com <mailto:mbarker@couttsinfo.com>