Color Press Group - History

History

The company's roots are found back in April 1992 when Robert Čoban and Velibor Đurović, two friends from the University of Novi Sad started publishing a biweekly student paper called Index.

After many initial hardships of political and financial nature, the paper grew into a biweekly current-events/political magazine called Svet that eventually became a tabloid in 1996. Simultaneously, a company called Svet Press owned by Coban and Djurovic was created to oversee the magazine. Changing the format paid immediate dividends as readership grew quickly.

Little by little, the company started adding other publications (light reading periodicals) such as Zona, Moja tajna, Moja romansa, and Teen Story. By the early part of 1999 they continued expanding with crossword puzzle-based Skandi svet and Sfinga as well as with cooking-based Tajne kuhinje, and Slatke tajne (both not currently active).

In August 1999, Svet Press expanded outside of Serbia for the first time with a daughter company called Svet Print set-up in Banja Luka, Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the end of the year another similar company called Monte Press was set up in Podgorica, Montenegro. The same year saw Svet Press make its first foreign licensing deal - getting the rights to publish a Serbian edition of British children's magazine Junior - something that would become the company's business strategy over the coming years.

1994–1995

Svet (The World) became biweekly newspaper and was focused mainly on politics, war in the region (Bosnia and Croatia) and crime growth in Serbia. The circulation ranged from 3,000 to 10,000 copies and the magazine was still printed by printing house Forum in Novi Sad.

1996–1999

By being transferred to the printing house Borba in Belgrade, the magazine changed its format to tabloid (previously it was in berliner format) and there was a gradual shift in concept as well, since it became a magazine focused on entertainment, celebrity lifestyles, publishing also some of the first paparazzo photographs in the history of Serbian publishing. In the following years, as a part of the publishing house Svet Press (The World Press), the following editions have been started: Zona (The Zone), Moja tajna (My Secret), Moja romansa (My Romance), Moje srce, (My Heart) and also Teen Story, the first magazine which was printed abroad (Revai Nyomda, Budapest) on glossy paper. In December 1996, in cooperation with the Open Society Fund, a special edition of Svet was published, dedicated to the crime growth in Serbia and the police torture over citizens in Serbia.

At the beginning of NATO bombing, the magazines were not issued only for a few days, and in April 1999 the complete production was continued, however with a reduced number of pages and material adapted to the new circumstances. The first two enigmatic magazines were started at the time – Skandi svet and Sfinga (The Sphynx). In the months following NATO bombing, culinary magazines Tajne kuhinje (Kitchen Secrets) and Slatke tajne (Sweet Secrets) were also started. However, unlike the rest of the magazines listed so far, they are no longer being published. In August 1999, Svet Press (The World Press) established the first daughter company in the region called Svet print (The World Print) in Banjaluka. Four months later, another company was established in Podgorica (Monte Color). In 1999, at Frankfurt book fair, Svet Press (The World Press) concluded its first licence contract and started the publishing of the British children's magazine Junior, which is still being published today.

2000–2001

At the beginning of the new millennium, Svet press (The World Press) starts several of its own brands such as monthly magazine Lepota i zdravlje (Health and Beauty) (monthly women's glossy magazine with the highest circulation in Serbia up to today), Moja beba (My Baby) and the great variety of enigmatic magazines and love stories. A company in Sarajevo was also established. Its basic publication, Svet (The World) magazine, still a biweekly newspaper, increased the number of colour pages and introduced glossy covers which resulted in the incredible rise in circulation – a New Year's edition from December 2001 was published in 250,000 copies. By the end of the year, European issue of Svet (The World) magazine was started and the company Svet Verlag with headquarters in Hamburg was established as well.

2002–2003

In the summer of 2002, negotiations with the German company Heinrich Bauer Verlag from Hamburg were started, which at the end of the year resulted in the publishing of Bravo, teenage biweekly magazine with the highest circulation in Europe. At the same time, at the party celebrating ten years of our company held in Hyatt hotel in Belgrade, we introduced magazines Joy and Lea. Joy, the first women's monthly licenced magazine in Serbia which was started in cooperation with Swiss company Marquard Media AG, still has the highest circulation in this sector. Biweekly magazine Lea is not being published anymore. During 2003, the first licence male magazine in Serbia, CKM, was started, also in cooperation with Marquard Media AG as well as Bravo Girl, a monthly magazine for teenage girls. The publication of popular comic book Alan Ford was also renewed by our company, by obtaining a licence from Italian company Max Bunker. Companies in Macedonia and Croatia were also established. A small printing house was founded, which published only crossword puzzles and love stories at the beginning. Today, printing house Color Print, as a part of Color Press Group, publishes over 2,000,000 magazine copies from our portfolio.

2004–2006

Company had a dynamic development, starting several dozens of new domestic and licenced editions in Serbia and in the region: TV Novele (TV Novellas), Bravo ScreenFun, FHM, Auto Start, Brava Casa, Lekovito Bilje (Medicinal plants), Astro, Mobi and a large number of children's, enigmatic and love magazines. In association with Video Top company from Maribor, Color Press Group established JV companies in Slovenia and Croatia, which jointly publish Bravo, Brava Casa, FHM, Lepota i Zdravlje (L&Z), as well as other numerous love story and children's publications.

2007–2008

In January 2007, a party celebrating 15 years of the company (dated from the first issue of „Index“) and the 500th issue of „Svet“ magazine was held at „MB Brewery“ for 1,200 employees and guests. It was also the occasion for filming a five-minute promo-clip about company history, and a special edition of „Svet“ magazine was also published celebrating the jubilee.

On July 19, 2007, a launch party at Beli dvor (Serbian royal residence) celebrated the first issue of „Hello!“ magazine, the most famous and the oldest celebrity magazine (Spanish Hola! was founded in 1944). A variety of magazines were first issued in 2007 as well: a specialized magazine „Moja kosa“ (the license of „My hair“), a monthly magazine with high circulation „Top zdravlje“, magazines „Kuhinjica“ and „Dobra hrana“ (in cooperation with a production company „Skorpion“), Bauer's biweekly female magazine „Tina“, the publication of Burda, „Moje dete“ and specialized bimonthly magazine „Beauty Expert“.

A company „Color Universal“ was registered in Belgrade, and it includes magazines „Svet“, „Hello!“ and „L'Officiel“.

In June 2008, „Hello!“ magazine which used to be a biweekly magazine started to be issued weekly, and CPG received a prestigious „June Award“ from the Regional Chamber of Commerce in Novi Sad.

CPG had a record circulation (2,930,574 citizens in Serbia) (SMMRI). In the region, after the issues of „Lepota i zdravlje“ for the market of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia had been released, the Macedonian (May) and Croatian (July) issue were also published. In July, the circulation of „Lepota i zdravlje“ in Bosnia reached more than 31,000 copies, which is an absolute record in this country as well.

The project „Lepota i zdravlje“ will go international this year at the fair of magazine licenses in Moscow (organized by FIPP). Namely, for the first time CPG will offer one of its licenses at the international market.

Today, „Color Press Group“ publishes 84 magazines in Serbia and the countries in the region with total monthly circulation of over 2,000,000 copies and annual income of 20 million euros.

Out of 12 magazines with the highest circulation in Serbia in 2007, CPG published six magazines (SMMRI). In 2007, CPG published a weekly magazine with the highest circulation in Serbia (Svet), biweekly (Bravo) and a monthly magazine (Top zdravlje) (ABC Srbija).

CPG includes „daughter companies“ from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia as well as correspondence offices in Frankfurt, Wien, Basel, Paris and many other European cities. CPG has over 350 permanent employees and approximately 150 part-time associates.

In September 2008, company headquarters in Novi Sad were relocated to a new commercial building (owned by CPG) in Temerinska street, for the first time in 16 years.

This year, in December, a party celebrating the 600th issue of Svet magazine and the launch of www.svet.rs regional portal which became the most popular showbiz portal in the region within a couple of months, took place in Rich club in Belgrade.

2009 - 2010

In the first quarter of 2009, when the economic crisis had already swept through all the sections of society, and affected the media industry as well, CPG is the only publisher among the great publishers in Serbia that recorded the rise in advertising income amounting to 33%.

Recession, however, forced us to close down several magazines, such as “Moje dete” (My Child), “Pony”, “Lepe princeze” (Pretty Princesses) and “Junior”, and to make FHM and Bravo Girl threemonthy magazines.

In the first half of this year, we launched the sixth regional issue of our most successful magazine brand, “Ljepota i zdravlje” (Beauty and Health), a Montenegrin issue, and female lifestyle portal www.lepotaizdravlje.rs.

The end of 2010 was marked by the take-over of Italian fashion magazine "Grazia" in Croatia as per license of publishing house "Mondadori". Internet portal www.beautyforum.rs was also launched and this year, apart from the Serbian edition, a Croatian edition of The Economist yearbook "The World in 2011" was published including the licensed quarterly magazine "Perfect Wedding" ("Savršeno venčanje").

2011.

In the first months of 2011, we launched the Bosnian, Croatian and Macedonian edition of magazine "Send the recipe" ("Pošalji recept"). In Serbia, new interactive magazines "Mother's School" ("Mamina škola") and "My Story" ("Moja priča") were also published.