Transcontinental completes acquisition of majority of assets of Avantage Consommateurs de l'Est du Québec, including three publications, print and electronic versions, distribution network

Kendall Sinclair

MONTREAL , August 29, 2011 (press release) – Transcontinental Media is proud to announce the acquisition of the majority of the assets of Avantage Consommateurs de l'Est du Québec inc., held by Gonzague Drapeau, including three well-known publications and the distribution network for the area stretching from Saint-Simon to Gaspé. Assets acquired include print and electronic publications of the weekly Rimouski community paper L'Avantage votre journal, reaching more than 43,000 households from Saint-Simon to Sainte-Florence in the Matapedia Valley; L'Avantage gaspésien, with more than 17,000 copies distributed from Baie-des-Sables to Rivière-Madeleine; and the monthly Le Régional, with a strong circulation of 91,000 copies in Eastern Quebec. All these communities are also served by the regional information portal lavantage.qc.ca, which will join the Transcontinental Media digital network. As for the major door-to-door distribution network of Avantage Consommateurs de l'Est du Québec inc., which already had a partnership with Transcontinental to distribute Publisac to more than 91,000 households in the area, it will now be entirely owned and operated by Transcontinental.

"The purchase of Rimouski's L'Avantage votre journal and its affiliated publications shows our commitment to growing our solid community paper network in Quebec, especially in the Lower St. Lawrence and Gaspésie regions," said Serge Lemieux, VP Newspaper Division, Quebec and Ontario, Transcontinental Media. "We are privileged to be able to count upon such top-quality publications, all well-established in their communities, and to help them grow and develop by working with the teams that have built them up over time."

Gonzague Drapeau, president of Avantage Consommateurs de l'Est du Québec inc., added "I have great confidence in handing over the reins to Transcontinental. Having worked with their staff in our printing and distribution partnerships, I know that we share the same values of quality and respect, which are fundamental to our publications. This marks a new stage in the life of L'Avantage, opening new doors and possibilities for both our advertisers and the communities we serve."

Founded in 1996, L'Avantage votre journal has built its readership by providing well-written, timely and relevant regional information. Proof of its achievements, the newspaper has won many prizes at the Grands Prix des Hebdos du Québec, which pays tribute to quality and excellence in community newspapers. In 2010 alone, L'Avantage votre journal won first prize in three different categories. It is distributed free of charge from Saint-Simon to Métis sur Mer and to Sainte-Florence in the Matapedia Valley. L'Avantage gaspésien and Le Régional have also enjoyed a loyal readership since their launch, with strong relationships with local advertisers and the community.

As a leading information portal in the region, the website lavantage.qc.ca serves the online community, reaching more than 15,000 unique visitors a week. Following the acquisition, local businesses will also have the opportunity to leverage Transcontinental Media's integrated digital offering, which provides a full line of media and marketing solutions to optimize small and medium-sized businesses' online visibility.

With their highly professional and dynamic staff, the publications and distribution network of L'Avantage will continue to prosper within Transcontinental.


About Transcontinental Media

The fourth largest print media group in Canada, with more than 3,000 employees and annual revenues of $608 million in 2010, Transcontinental Media reaches, through its multiplatform offering, over 18 million consumers across Canada. The group is the largest publisher of consumer magazines and French language educational resources in Canada, and the largest publisher of local and regional newspapers in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces. Transcontinental Media publishes the weekday daily Metro in Montreal and Halifax. It is also the leading distributor of door-to-door advertising material in Canada, with Publisac in Quebec and Targeo in the rest of Canada. Transcontinental Media is distinguished by its custom publishing, mailing and customized email database, which allows marketers to connect efficiently with more than six million consumers. Thanks to a wide digital network of more than 1,000 websites, Transcontinental Media reaches 11.3 million unique visitors per month in Canada.

Transcontinental Media is a subsidiary of Transcontinental (TSX: TCL.A, TCL.B, TCL.PR.D) which has operations in Canada, the United States and Mexico, and reported revenue of C$2.1 billion in 2010.

* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistrubte or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.