Reader's Digest Association launches new businesses in the United Arab Emirates

The new countries are the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan and Lithuania. In each country, RDA pre-qualifies the market with successful test results and then begins publishing books using direct marketing.

"We are delighted to announce plans to enter these markets and bring our book publishing to more corners of the world," said Eric Schrier, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Bulgaria and Lithuania extend our operations in Central Europe, where our presence is already growing fast. Kazakhstan, following our recent launch in Ukraine, expands our service in Eastern Europe. And our venture in United Arab Emirates marks a historic move for us into the Middle East."

Tom Gardner, President of RD International, commented, "We have been expanding at a rate that is reminiscent of the 1940s, when our founders DeWitt and Lila Wallace were boldly launching new editions of Reader's Digest magazine throughout the world." He added, "Today, our model builds on the successes of one region, typically managed by a hub office. Once a region is performing well, we extend the franchise into neighbouring countries without the costs of a large infrastructure. The new businesses take root, and very quickly they are providing products that our customers appreciate while making an important contribution to the company's revenues and profits."

RDA's Middle East business launched in the United Arab Emirates at the beginning of February. Motivate Publishing, the leading book and magazine publisher in the region, is RDA's venture partner in UAE.

The launch product will be Discovering the Wonders of Our World. Additional book titles for the UAE are being considered along with the possibility of test-marketing in neighbouring countries.