Hearst Corporation Acquires 20% Stake in Stylus Media Group

NEW YORK, NY and LONDON--(Marketwire - Mar 28, 2012) - Hearst Corporation today announced that it has acquired a 20 percent stake in Stylus Media Group, which provides business intelligence to consumer companies. The announcement was made jointly by Frank A. Bennack, Jr., CEO of Hearst Corporation, and Marc Worth, CEO and founder of Stylus. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Stylus tracks consumer behavior and cultural shifts across consumer industries, including automotive, technology, media, retail, fashion and hospitality. Stylus (Stylus.com) is used by design, marketing, branding and business development departments inside companies to stimulate new ideas about consumer products and services.

As part of the agreement, Kenneth A. Bronfin, president of Hearst Interactive Media, will join the Board of Directors of Stylus. The Interactive Media group will manage Hearst's stake in Stylus as it does with its numerous portfolio businesses.

Since its launch in September 2010, Stylus has grown to cover 20 sectors across 50 countries with a worldwide staff of 100. More than 200 major corporations have subscribed to Stylus data, including Saatchi & Saatchi, Starwood Hotels, Mulberry, Sony, Ford, Colombia Sportswear, The Container Store, Marks & Spencer and Interbrand. Its mission is to become a global leader in primary research, tapping into opportunities in emerging markets and meeting demand from business and design professionals for research and information.

Commenting on the acquisition, Bennack said, "For all businesses to be competitive, spotting the next trend can mean success or failure. We believe that Stylus offers information that no company should be without. The growth potential is very promising, as is the benefit to our own brands and businesses."

"This strategic partnership signals a wealth of new opportunities for Stylus," Worth said. "Hearst's global presence will help drive Stylus' business forward in Asia and Latin America as well as its core markets of U.S. and Europe. Hearst's investment in both technology and new media businesses makes it an ideal partner and will allow us to meet demand for cross-sector, cross-country design intelligence."

"We have been quite impressed with the tremendous amount of progress that Stylus has made since its launch in terms of content development and brand-name client acquisition," Bronfin said. "We look forward to working with Stylus as it expands its reputation as an authoritative business intelligence resource for design and creative professionals."

About Stylus
Stylus provides business intelligence to consumer companies in order to inspire new ideas and improve profitability. An online business resource, Stylus (Stylus.com) is used by nearly 250 leading companies in the automotive, fashion & beauty, electronics, home & industrial design, media & technology, hospitality, architecture and advertising industries. Users across 52 countries rely on the Stylus editorial content to learn about consumer behaviour, global industry events and new ideas for product design and consumer services. Stylus is headquartered in London and has offices in New York and Los Angeles.

About Hearst Corporation
Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com) is one of the nation's largest diversified media and information companies. Its major interests include ownership of 15 daily and 37 weekly newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Albany Times Union; hundreds of magazines around the world, including Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, ELLE and O, The Oprah Magazine; 29 television stations, which reach a combined 18 percent of U.S. viewers; ownership in leading cable networks, including Lifetime, A&E, History and ESPN; significant holdings in the automotive, electronic, medical/pharmaceutical and financial information industries; Internet and marketing services businesses; television production; newspaper features distribution; and real estate. Follow us on Twitter @HearstCorp.