• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, March 13, 2008

Lagardere SCA, which owns Hachette Filipacchi, reported positive financial results for 2007, with revenues up compared to 2006. That's thanks, in part, to improved performance at its magazine properties worldwide. The company also credited Hachette Filipacchi's online acquisitions in 2007, including Jumpstart, an auto ad network, for revenue growth.

The Paris-based company's media properties, including Hachette, posted 3.3% growth in revenue, to roughly $13.3 billion according to current exchange rates. Magazine sales, including U.S. and overseas titles, rose 1.3% to $2.7 billion, despite costs associated with the closure of some unprofitable magazines. (Hachette shuttered Premiere in March 2007 in the U.S.) The company's core magazine business performed well, especially women's and celebrity titles.

According to a separate report from TNS Media Intelligence, Hachette's total ad pages slipped slightly in 2007--down 3.7% to 14,146. Hachette is just one of many magazine businesses owned by Lagardere.

The company assumed more debt in 2007--up 25% to almost $4 billion according to current exchange rates--to finance a number of acquisitions, including Jumpstart. However, the digital acquisitions showed immediate benefits for Lagardere Active's bottom line, contributing 3.1% of net sales in 2007 compared to just 1% in 2006.