The Mondadori Group has formalized the acquisition of the branch dedicated to school publishing of Hoepli, closing an operation announced in the previous weeks and now formalized with the signing of the contract. The agreement concerns one of the most solid and profitable activities of the historic Milanese publishing house, which has been a point of reference in the school manuals sector for years.
The operation will be completed during the first half of 2026, but remains subject to a series of conditions precedent yet to be verified. The transition marks a new structure for a brand which, in the meantime, has officially entered the voluntary liquidation phase.
Hoepli in liquidation: an internal and structural crisis
The decision to put Hoepli into liquidation did not arise from a single economic factor. At the base, according to what emerged, there were years of financial difficulties and a growing conflict between shareholders, which made unitary management impossible. On the one hand the founding family, on the other the other shareholders with significant stakes: an internal fracture that accelerated the divestment process. The consequence was a progressive demobilization of assets, with the separate sale of the various company branches. The school sector is the first to have been sold, but not the only element at play.
The impact on workers and the future of the bookshop
The acquisition of Mondadori concerns only part of the staff: approximately 9 employees out of a total of 90 will move to the new publishing group. For other workers, extraordinary layoffs are looming, already foreseen for up to 24 months. At the same time, the historic Hoepli bookshop in Milan, a cultural symbol of the city, remains open. The property is at the center of real estate negotiations and the closing of the business is set for April 30th, with complete emptying expected by the end of June. A phase that marks a radical change in the Milanese publishing panorama.
A disputed sale and the value of the school branch
The branch acquired by Mondadori is considered the most profitable, with a market share estimated at around 5% in the school sector. Precisely for this reason, there has been no shortage of criticism on social media and among industry observers: many highlight how it is a strategic asset sold at a time of strong weakness for the company, fueling the debate on the real value of the operation. Meanwhile, the group led by Mondadori consolidates its presence in the education sector, while Hoepli is moving towards a profound transformation that will redesign over a century of publishing history.
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