CLE International

CLE International is a French publishing brand and a member of the Editis group. The available reference material identifies it among Editis's publishing subsidiaries, but does not provide sufficient detail to establish a reliable founding date, founder, ownership structure below the group level, headquarters, executive history, product catalogue, or major corporate milestones specific to CLE International. Accordingly, the brand should be understood primarily through its place within the French publishing industry and Editis's broader portfolio rather than through unsupported assumptions about its operations. Editis is a major French publishing group created in the early 2000s during the restructuring and divestment of Vivendi Universal Publishing. CLE International appears in the group's list of member companies alongside educational, general-interest, reference, literary, and distribution-related publishing businesses. Its inclusion in that portfolio indicates that CLE International operates as a distinct publishing imprint or company within a larger multi-brand publishing house. The available material does not specify whether its current legal form is an independently incorporated subsidiary, an imprint, or another internal brand structure. Editis changed ownership several times after its formation. The group was established in December 2002 following the sale of Vivendi Universal Publishing assets and adopted the Editis name in October 2003. Its assets were subsequently divided between Lagardère and the investment group Wendel. Editis integrated with the Planeta Group in 2008, was reacquired by Vivendi in January 2019 for a reported €900 million, and was sold by Vivendi to Czech Media Invest in November 2023. These transactions concern the parent group, not a separately reported sale of CLE International, but they form the relevant ownership context for the brand. The brand's official website is listed as cle-inter.com. Beyond its classification as a French publisher and its association with Editis, the supplied sources do not document specific flagship series, campaigns, controversies, leadership appointments, financial results, or recent product launches. Further verification from CLE International's own corporate materials, French business registries, catalogue records, and the dedicated Wikipedia article would be required before expanding this entry.

The available reference material provides only limited history specific to CLE International. It identifies the company as a French publisher and lists it among the publishing businesses belonging to Editis. No reliable information is supplied about CLE International's original incorporation, founders, early catalogue, changes of name, or the date on which it entered the Editis portfolio. Those details therefore remain unconfirmed. The relevant corporate history is the development of Editis. The group was created on 20 December 2002 after Vivendi sold Vivendi Universal Publishing to Investima 10, an investment structure linked to Natexis Banques Populaires that temporarily held the publishing assets while regulatory and ownership arrangements were resolved. The company initially used the name VUP-Investima 10 and adopted the Editis name on 14 October 2003. During 2004, portions of the group's assets were transferred to Lagardère, while Wendel acquired a majority share and subsequently took control of the company. Editis later entered a combination with the Planeta Group in May 2008. In January 2019, Vivendi bought Editis back from Planeta for a reported €900 million. In 2023, Vivendi's ownership of both Editis and the parent of Hachette created a competition-related structural issue around its publishing holdings. Vivendi retained Hachette after acquiring a majority stake in Lagardère and agreed to sell Editis. Czech Media Invest completed the Editis acquisition in November 2023 for a reported €653 million, with the total funds received by Vivendi stated as €654 million after the repayment of Editis debt at closing. Editis's portfolio has included a broad range of French publishing businesses, including educational and reference publishers, literary houses, general-interest imprints, and distribution operations. CLE International is named within that portfolio alongside companies such as Bordas, Nathan, Retz, Dictionnaires Le Robert, Interforum, and other Editis-associated businesses. The supplied sources do not establish whether CLE International has a separate corporate parent beneath Editis, a distinct operating headquarters, or a current standalone management team. Its history should therefore be expanded only after consulting dedicated company records or authoritative catalogue and corporate sources.

• 2023

  Editis changes ownership to Czech Media Invest

  [1]Editisen.wikipedia.org

  Czech Media Invest completed its acquisition of Editis from Vivendi in November 2023.

• 2019

  Vivendi reacquires Editis

  [1]Editisen.wikipedia.org

  Vivendi reacquired Editis from Planeta in January 2019.

• 2008

  Editis integrates with Planeta

  [1]Editisen.wikipedia.org

  Editis became integrated with the Planeta Group, a major Spanish-language publishing group.

• 2003

  The Editis name is adopted

  [1]Editisen.wikipedia.org

  The company created in 2002 changed its name to Editis in October 2003.

• 2002

  Editis is established

  [1]Editisen.wikipedia.org

  Editis was created during the restructuring and sale of Vivendi Universal Publishing assets. CLE International is documented as part of the later Editis publishing portfolio, but its own relationship to the group at this date is not specified.

A French publishing brand operating within the multi-imprint Editis portfolio; the available sources do not provide enough detail to define a narrower editorial positioning.

• 2023

  Vivendi sells Editis to Czech Media InvestM&A

  Background

  Vivendi chose to retain Hachette after acquiring a majority stake in Lagardère's parent company and sold Editis as part of the resulting publishing-portfolio restructuring.

  Action taken

  Czech Media Invest acquired Editis, including the group portfolio in which CLE International is listed.

  Aftermath

  Editis became a subsidiary of Czech Media Invest. The supplied material does not describe a separate operational change at CLE International.

  Reported transaction value. €653 million for the Editis acquisition; €654 million received by Vivendi including debt repayment (November 2023)

  Source

• 2023

  Editis is sold by Vivendi to Czech Media Invest[1]Editisen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Czech Media Invest completed the acquisition of Editis from Vivendi in November 2023. CLE International was identified as one of the publishing businesses within the Editis portfolio. The reported transaction value for Editis was €653 million, with Vivendi receiving €654 million including repayment of Editis debt at closing.

• 2019

  Vivendi reacquires Editis from Planeta[1]Editisen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Vivendi reacquired Editis from the Planeta Group in January 2019. CLE International remained associated with Editis as one of the group's publishing companies.

1. 1Editisen.wikipedia.org
2. 2CLE International official websitecle-inter.com