7 July 2026
(Editor’s note: Taken from the Bundeskartellamt website: https://www.bundeskartellamt.de/SharedDocs/Meldung/EN/Pressemitteilungen/2026/07_07_2026_Springer_Nature_Holtzbrinck.html)
The Bundeskartellamt has today cleared plans by Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart, to take over Springer Nature AG & Co. KGaA, Berlin.
Springer Nature is one of the largest academic publishers operating worldwide. Until now, Holtzbrinck and the investment firm BC Partners have controlled Springer Nature jointly. When the company was founded in 2015, the two parent companies combined their activities, particularly those relating to the publication of English-language academic works.
Holtzbrinck is one of the largest media companies in Germany. In addition to its stake in Springer Nature, it operates globally in the fields of trade publishing, education and news.
Following the current merger, Holtzbrinck will have sole control over Springer Nature.
Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt:“Although the market for academic publications in English is dominated by a small number of large publishers, the merger is not expected to significantly change the competitive landscape, and particulary not to substantially impede effective competition. One of the main reasons for this assessment was that several major competitors will remain active in the relevant markets.”
(Editor’s note: Holtzbrinck own Digital Science and Macmillan Learning)