The Commercial Court of Paris has ruled. On Friday, it accepted the only offer to take over Presstalis submitted, that of the Coopérative des quotidiens de Presstalis.
The Paris head office of the main press distributor in France is thus placed in receivership for a two-month observation period, as well as its distribution and groupage activities at Bobigny in Seine-Saint-Denis (Mercuri, VIP, CCEI, Export presse and Ocyto).
As for its regional subsidiaries - the Société d'agence et de diffusion (SAD) and the Société pour la promotion et la communication (Soprocom) - they are simply liquidated, with no further activity.
With this plan supported by Presstalis' management, approximately 260 jobs out of the 900 in the group are maintained.
A recovery plan denounced and contested by the CGT
The Syndicat général du livre et de la communication écrite (SGLCE-CGT) had been mobilized since Tuesday against this partial liquidation. Many national titles and some magazines in the provinces could not be distributed and several printing plants were blocked (such as the printing site of the newspaper Progress in Chassieu in the Rhône).
The union was counting on an offer that was being finalized by the Coopérative des magazines de Presstalis (CDM) to save the regional depots, an offer that complements that of the Coopérative des quotidiens.
"While there were still a number of outstanding issues to be resolved in order to finalise the dossier, in our view the CSD proposal allowed discussions to continue on a new basis with a view to a comprehensive settlement. (...) By its decision, the Paris Commercial Court has rekindled already high tensions. Our union is already taking legal action on appeal against this decision."
Towards a "complete overhaul of the system" of press distribution
Two Court Administrators are now assisting Presstalis during this two-month observation period (renewable) in order to finalize the takeover and "to ensure continuity of distribution for the benefit of all players in the distribution chain for daily newspapers and magazines", indicates the direction of Presstalis in a press release.
"The objective is to build a messaging system capable of meeting the challenges of the sector over the next few years and prepare a complete overhaul of the system in the context of the new Bichet law" she says.
A financial crisis exacerbated by the coronavirus
Presstalis had been in suspension of payments since April 20 "in serious economic and financial difficulties", and this "despite repeated restructuring efforts and the constant support of the public authorities." . And the two cooperatives that make up the group, the Magazine Cooperative and the Press Cooperative, were unable to reach an agreement.
"The unprecedented health crisis of Covid-19 and its consequences on the press sector have contributed to significantly accelerate the deterioration of the group's financial balances" would like to acknowledge the direction.
"The lack of a common will between daily newspapers and magazines was a direct threat to all 900 employees of the group and risked further weakening an entire industry made up of publishers, printers, distributors, distributors and transporters whose recurring difficulties are amplified by an unprecedented health crisis
