Suomeksi | in English
The Group invests in digital knowhow and books' retail business. Otavamedia Ltd. purchased DeCo Media Ltd. to strengthen customer magazine unit. Otava Ltd. purchased Suomalainen Kirjakauppa Ltd.
The Great Finnish Book Club was merged with Otavamedia Ltd.
The Group's new organisation comes into operation on 1 April 2010. Alexander Lindholm is appointed Managing Director of the Group. Otava Books and Magazines Group Ltd becomes Otava Ltd and United Magazines Ltd becomes Otavamedia Ltd.
United Magazines Ltd purchases a controlling interest in Suomen Golfpiste Oy, which maintains the golfpiste.com portal and publishes the Golf Digest magazine in Finland.
The Group invests in online business by acquiring Mach1 Oy (today known as NettiX Oy).
Viestintätoimisto Sanakunta Oy, which is located in Turku, becomes a subsidiary of Kynämies Ltd. The production of the Sonera Plaza portal content is transferred to Kynämies. Otava acquires the publishing operations of Like, which becomes a subsidiary. The Viva magazine is established.
The privatisation of Otava that started in 1991 is completed. The Group is wholly owned by the Reenpää family and the Otava Book Foundation.
United Magazines Ltd sells the Media-matkat travel agency.
All capital loans are paid off. The subsidiary Kynämies Ltd becomes wholly owned by United Magazines Ltd.
Kynämies Ltd takes on the publication of Kesko's Pirkka customer magazine after a business deal. The Alma Media Ltd stock is sold. Otava buys the Ex Libris book club from Tammi and Gummerus. The operations in Keuruu are divided into printing house operations and ownership of residential areas (Otavanmäki Oy).
The publishing operations are incorporated as Otava Publishing Company. The name of the Group parent company changes to Otava Books and Magazines. The Rautakirja Ltd stock is sold to Kesko Ltd. United Magazines Ltd purchases a controlling interest of Kynämies Ltd, a publisher of customer magazines.
The printing operations are incorporated as Otava Book Printing Ltd. An agreement is signed on logistics co-operation with Kirjavälitys Oy, which becomes an associated company. Acta Print Oy sells its magazine printing houses and business to the Edita Group.
Otava Books and Magazines Group is established on 1 September. Otava redeems WSOY's 50% interest in the joint ownership companies United Magazines Ltd, The Great Finnish Book Club Ltd, and Acta Print Oy. The sale price (over 700 million Finnish marks) is mostly financed by capital loans (400 million Finnish marks).
Privatisation of Otava begins, taking the company from listed to unquoted status.
Otava's rotogravure printing moves to the new printing house in Kivenlahti, Espoo.
Otava, WSOY, and Tammi establish the Great Finnish Book Club Ltd.
The new printing house and residential area are completed in Keuruu; printing operations move there gradually.
Otava Publishing Company operates as a listed company.
United Magazines establishes the image service which is today known as Finnish Press Agency Ltd.
Otava and WSOY merge their magazines to establish United Magazines Ltd. The first joint product was the Seura magazine.
The extension of Otava's office building is completed in lot No. 8 in Uudenmaankatu.
The first rotogravure printing press in Finland starts to print Suomen Kuvalehti at Otava's printing house in Hietalahdenranta. Rotation printing was renewed in 1928.
Kirjavälitys Oy is established by Otava and other publishers and book sellers.
Otava starts publishing the Suomen Kuvalehti magazine.
Rautatiekirjakauppa Oy, later Rautakirja Ltd, was established at the Otava office. Owners include the largest Finnish book and magazine publishers.
Otava's office building, the granite castle in a national romantic Art Nouveau style, was completed in Uudenmaankatu 10. The building was designed by architects Karl Lindahl and Valter Thomé. Otava commenced its printing operations two years later when the extension housing the type house, printing press, and bindery was completed on neighbouring lot No. 12.
Otava Publishing company was established after proposal by Eliel Aspelin and Hannes Gebhard in a meeting at the Arkadia theatre in May. The nation needed a new publishing company, to bring together material and human capital.
A total of 230 persons were founder shareholders. The cultural objective of the new company was to elevate and spread Finnish national literature. The company wanted to have reasonably priced books and, at the same time, build a solid financial foundation for the whole business. Founder shareholder Alvar Renqvist was appointed managing director in 1893, and he continued to develop the company.
