Zinio Acquired By Gilvest

Investment company Gilvest LP has acquired electronic publisher Zinio Systems, the companies will announce today. Financial terms aren't disclosed; Richard Maggiotto, CEO and president of Zinio, will continue to head the company.

Zinio, which offers a downloadable electronic reader, currently distributes more than 1,200 digital magazine titles, including TV Guide, Men's Health, Black Enterprise and Penthouse.

Maggiotto said that later this year, Zinio intends to roll out a new version of its downloadable electronic reader as well as a browser-based reader. The new product will make content "much more accessible and much more discoverable" by consumers, he said. For instance, with the upcoming reader, consumers will more easily be able to preview magazines and browse through their pages before purchasing them. The new reader also will be compatible with both Macs and PCs, said Doug Carlson, who manages Gilvest.

The company is owned by entrepreneur David Gilmour, founder and former chairman of Fiji Water, and cofounder of other companies including the South Pacific Hotel Corporation, Barrick Gold Corporation and Horsham Corporation.

Recently, Gilvest backed a new electronic-only women's health magazine, Viv. The magazine, which launched in January, is edited by Anne Russell, formerly of Shape.

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