Four generations of the Bauer family have expanded the group into an empire comprising 166 magazines in 14 countries.

It entered the British market with the women’s title Bella in 1987 and had further success in 1990 with Take a Break, which has a similar format of competitions and real-life stories and sells more than a million copies a week. Bauer soon moved into the lucrative television listings marketing in Britain, with the launch of TV Quick in 1991 and TV Choice in 1999.

Bauer has a 32 per cent share of the market and TV Choice rose 8.1 per cent to 1,391,774 readers in the latest ABC figures in August.

The group’s pending ownership of Emap’s magazine and radio businesses is likely to prove more challenging. Many titles, particularly men’s magazines, have suffered as readers migrate online and Bauer will have the task of improving the internet offering, as well as boosting circulation.

The radio business is also difficult. While Bauer has radio and television assets, it is not an experienced broadcaster. The radio advertising market is challenging and, while Emap stations have performed well, the medium has come under immense pressure.

Sources said yesterday that Bauer may choose to sell off the radio division and made a joint bid for consumer magazines and radio to secure the titles, which include Heat, Grazia and FHM.

The German group traces its origins to 1875, when Hamburg resident Johann Bauer went into business as a printer, setting up shop at his home with a borrowed press.

The group is now the largest privately owned publisher in Europe, operating in Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and Britain. Additionally, H Bauer publishes in the United States and Mexico.

Bauer, which is owned by Heinz Bauer, is run by him and his four daughters. While all four are based in Germany, the youngest, Saskia, often works in the international business and spent some months in Britain this year.

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