Mondadori Retail has signed a preliminary agreement with MA S.r.l., a company operating in the retail sector, for the acquisition of a 51% stake in the soon-to-be-established MA Retail S.r.l., owner of 10 bookstores.

The transaction will take effect from 1 December and will enable Mondadori Retail – which manages the largest network of bookstores in Italy, with over 500 stores – to further strengthen its directly managed retail network.
The acquisition forms part of the company’s broader growth strategy which – following four consecutive years of positive and steadily improving results – now complements organic growth with an external development initiative.

Mondadori Retail’s expansion plan – a strategic business for promoting reading and ensuring widespread distribution of books – will continue throughout 2026 with the opening of approximately 30 additional bookstores, both directly managed and franchised. These social and cultural hubs, dedicated to books and entertainment, will further enrich the offering in various Italian regions and high-potential urban centres.

The 10 bookstores acquired, already affiliated with the Mondadori Retail franchising network, are located across Italy under the brand name Mondadori Bookstore | MA, in Milan, Turin, Udine, Taggia (IM), Grosseto, Rome, Naples, Salerno, Sestu (CA), and Sassari. These stores embody a new contemporary and environmentally conscious bookstore concept, designed to combine culture with environment: eco-friendly, multimedia spaces inspired by the Japanese philosophy of MA, from which they take their name. 

The agreement also includes a call option in favour of the Mondadori Group company, which would allow it to increase its stake in MA Retail to 100% from 2030.