⁍ French publishing and media group Lagardere is considering a bid for Simon & Schuster.

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⁍ Lagardere already owns book publishing houses including Hachette.

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⁍ Some of France’s richest businessmen recently closed ranks around Lagardere.

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– French media and publishing group Lagardere is considering a bid for Simon & Schuster, the publisher behind Stephen King and Annie Proulx, Reuters reports. “Of course we are interested in the acquisition of S&S,’ Arnaud Nourry, who runs Lagardere’s publishing unit, told analysts after the broader group reported a sharp revenue fall and a first-half loss of $569 million. “We won’t go crazy.” Lagardere is caught up in a battle with shareholder Amber Capital to streamline the company and boost its stock market performance. Some of France’s richest businessmen recently closed ranks around Lagardere, which is caught up in a battle with shareholder and activist hedge fund Amber Capital to streamline the company and boost its stock market performance. Bernard Arnault, who runs luxury goods group LVMH, is taking a 25% stake in Lagardere Capital & Management (LCM), the personal holding company of Arnaud Lagardere. Vivendi’s Vincent Bollore, meanwhile, has bought directly into Lagardere, raising speculation over whether the business will end up being carved up between the billionaires.