Publihebdos


Groupe actu is a subsidiary of and specializes in the publication of local weekly newspapers.

History

1999–2017

1999–2001

Publihebdos was established in 1999 with the objective of consolidating all of the weekly regional press titles owned by Ouest-France, which at that time included ' and Les Sables - Vendée Journal.
In 2001, through Publihebdos, Ouest-France acquired the family-owned Méaulle group, which was prominent in Normandy through approximately twenty titles, such as ' and Les Informations dieppoises... Publihebdos also took control of the printing plant in Bernay.
This acquisition enabled Groupe SIPA - Ouest-France to establish a presence in Upper Normandy, particularly to compete with the, which owned the rival newspaper .

2002–2013

In 2005, as part of the acquisition of Socpresse Ouest by Groupe SIPA-Ouest-France—which resulted in the creation of the subsidiary Les Journaux de Loire—Publihebdos acquired the weekly newspapers Toutes les nouvelles and La Gazette du Val-d'Oise, both previously owned by Serge Dassault.
In 2007, Publihebdos acquired 14 local weekly newspapers from the Hersant group in Normandy and the Pays de la Loire region, including titles such as Les Nouvelles de Falaise and Le Courrier vendéen. This transaction brought the total number of titles under Publihebdos to 56, representing nearly 30% of the French weekly press market.
Between 2009 and 2013, Publihebdos continued acquiring independent weekly newspapers, including L'Informateur and L'Écho-Le Régional in 2009, Le Courrier du Léon and Progrès de Cornouaille in 2010, the biweekly regional newspaper Le Pays briard in 2011, and Le Républicain in 2013.
In parallel with these acquisitions, the group launched new free weekly newspapers and digital-only publications, including Le Havre infos and Côté Caen in 2010, 76actu in 2012, and Normandie-actu.fr in 2014. By this point, the group comprised 76 weekly newspapers.

2014–2016

In 2014, Publihebdos acquired 70% of the weekly newspapers of La Presse Régionale, which was controlled by an association linked to the Mulliez family, with the remaining 30% initially retained by the association Les Amis de la presse régionale. This acquisition added 12 weekly titles, including Voix du Jura, Voix du Midi, and Croix du Nord, bringing the total to 80 titles out of approximately 250 weekly newspapers in France.
In 2016, the departmental daily newspaper La Presse de la Manche, which had been acquired by Ouest-France in 1990, was transferred to Publihebdos.

Since 2017

Since 2017, Publihebdos has focused its strategy on digital development, consolidating its various websites under the single platform. This platform generated 50 million monthly visits in 2019 and reached 100 million monthly visits in 2023. On November 7, 2024, Publihebdos was renamed Groupe actu.

Organization

Management

Until the end of August 2024, Francis Gaunand served as president of the executive board of Publihebdos, succeeding Bruno de Boursetty, who had in turn succeeded Martine Laruaz. Starting September 1, 2024, Laurent Gouhier became president of the executive board of Groupe actu.

Workforce

In 2023, the media group employed 850 people, approximately half of whom were journalists. This represented an increase of 100 employees compared to 2013. This growth was due to the acquisition of La Presse Régionale and the recruitment of around fifty journalists for the Actu.fr platform. In 2024, Groupe actu had 847 employees, including 400 journalists.

Circulation

In 2013, the group's 76 titles had a combined circulation of 841,000 copies. In 2020, amid rising raw material costs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, circulation remained stable at 800,000 copies for 88 titles.

Publications

Brittany

  • La Chronique Républicaine,
  • Le Courrier Indépendant,
  • L'Écho de l'Armor et de l'Argoat,
  • La Gazette du Centre Morbihan,
  • Le Pays Malouin,
  • Le Penthièvre,
  • Le Petit Bleu des Côtes d'Armor,
  • Le Ploërmelais,
  • Pontivy Journal,
  • La Presse d'Armor,
  • Le Trégor
  • Le Journal de Vitré,
  • Côté Brest
  • Côté Quimper
  • ''L' Hebdo du Finistère''

Normandy

Seine-Maritime
  • Le Bulletin,
  • Le Havre Infos,
  • Le Journal d'Elbeuf
  • La Dépêche du Pays de Bray,
  • Les Informations dieppoises
  • L'Informateur, bought in 2009 from the Royer family
  • L'Éclaireur Brayon,
  • Le Réveil de Neufchâtel.
  • Côté Rouen, released in February 2nd, 2011
    Eure
  • Le Démocrate vernonnais,
  • Eure Infos,
  • L'Éveil de Pont-Audemer,
  • L'Éveil normand,
  • La Dépêche
  • Le Courrier de l'Eure
  • L'Impartial,
    Calvados
  • L'Éveil de Lisieux-Côte,
  • Liberté - Le Bonhomme libre,
  • Les Nouvelles de Falaise
  • La Voix - Le Bocage
  • La Renaissance le Bessin
  • Le Pays d'Auge
  • Côté Caen, released in December 8th, 2010
    Manche
  • La Presse de la Manche,
  • La Gazette de la Manche,
  • Côté Manche, released in May 11, 2011
  • ''C'est à Cherbourg''
    Orne
  • Le Journal de l'Orne,
  • L'Orne Hebdo
  • Le Perche,
  • Le Réveil normand,
  • Le Publicateur libre
  • ''L'Orne combattante''

Pays de la Loire

  • Les Alpes Mancelles
  • L'Hebdo de Sèvre & Maine
  • Les Nouvelles
  • Les Sables Vendée-Journal
  • L'Éclaireur
  • Le Courrier du pays de Retz
  • Le Courrier vendéen
  • L'Écho de la Presqu'île
  • Le Petit Courrier - L'Écho de la Vallée du Loir, bought in 2010
  • L'Écho de la vallée du Loir, bought in June 2011
  • Côté La Flèche
  • Côté La Roche sur Yon
  • Côté Les Herbiers
  • Mayenne Infos
  • L'Action - L'Echo
  • Actu Le Mans
  • ''Le Journal du Pays Yvonnais''

Île-de-France

  • Le Courrier de Mantes,
  • Le Courrier des Yvelines,
  • La Gazette du Val-d'Oise, bought in 2005,
  • La République de Seine-et-Marne,
  • Toutes les nouvelles, bought in 2005.
  • La Marne, bought in 2007.
  • L'Écho-Le Régional, bought in February 2008
  • Le Pays Briard, bought in late 2010.

Nouvelle-Aquitaine

  • Le Républicain, bought in December 2012

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

  • ''La Voix du Cantal''

Centre-Val-de-Loire

  • ''L'Action - L'Echo''

Hauts-de-France

  • Croix du Nord,
  • L'Éclaireur,
  • Le Journal d'Abbeville.

Occitanie

  • Côté Toulouse
  • Voix du Midi
  • ''La Vie Quercynoise''

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (Jura)

  • Voix du Jura.

Printing facilities

Groupe actu operates two printing plants: one in Cavan in the Côtes-d'Armor department and another in Cherbourg in Normandy. Both facilities are certified under the Imprim'Vert environmental label. The printing plant in Bernay, also located in Normandy, was closed in 2018.

Economic model

In 2013, the group's revenue was €78 million, of which 48% came from newspaper sales and the remaining 52% from advertising, classified advertisements, and legal notices. In 2023, the group reported revenue of €92 million, with a profitability rate of 10%.
In 2022, an independent report commissioned by the works council of Publihebdos criticized the group's business model, describing it as "low-cost" journalism and highlighting poor working conditions.

Ownership

Groupe actu is a subsidiary of Groupe SIPA - Ouest-France. It is owned through SIPA, which holds 84.34% of its capital. SIPA itself is controlled by the Association pour le soutien des principes de la démocratie humaniste. The group also owns the news agency APEi.

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Parliamentary reports

Category:Publishing companies of France
Category:Weekly newspapers published in France