CORPORATION
Overview
The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. is a global multi-brand media and marketing company that educates, entertains and connects audiences around the world. We are dedicated to providing our customers with the inspiration, ideas and tools that simplify and enrich their lives.
A Global Organization
The company uses its marketing, editorial and content-delivery skills to serve communities of customers around the world. With offices in 44 countries, it markets books, magazines, music, video and educational products to a customer database of more than 130 million in 78 countries. It publishes 94 magazines, including 50 editions of Reader’s Digest, the world’s largest-circulation magazine, operates 65 branded websites generating 260 million page views per month, and sells approximately 40 million books, music and video products across the world each year.
The company reports business results in three segments: United States, International, and School & Educational Services. United States includes: Reader’s Digest Community, which focuses on the flagship brand and related products; U.S. Affinities, which comprise Food & Entertaining and Home & Garden; and Emerging Businesses, which develops new businesses, business models and content. International comprises three business divisions: Asia Pacific, Canada and Latin America, and Europe. School & Educational Services comprises Weekly Reader Publishing Group and CompassLearning. The company publishes nine magazines with circulations of at least 1 million including Reader’s Digest, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Birds & Blooms, Weekly Reader and Taste of Home. RDA is targeting growth by creating multi-platform communities based on branded content. It is using its repository of evergreen content to create new products and launch them at modest cost. The company is growing internationally by leveraging its leading brands across its global footprint; for example, Allrecipes.com, which has grown to become the largest food website in the world, has since 2008 launched new local sites in a number of countries including the United Kingdom and Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, France, Germany, Canada (French), The People’s Republic of China, and Japan. Other recent business expansion includes new initiatives in Asia, Canada, Europe, Latin America and the United States.
On March 3, 2007, an investor group led by Ripplewood Holdings LLC completed a transaction resulting in the acquisition of RDA under private ownership. On August 24, 2009, the company filed for pre-arranged Bankruptcy protection as part of an agreement in principle with senior lenders to restructure the company financially and strengthen it for the future. The restructuring initiative is proceeding rapidly and on plan.
