McGraw-Hill Education acquires Open University Press; sells MMS Int

Business Publisher, August 31, 2002

McGraw-Hill Education (New York; Maidenhead, UK) has acquired Open University Press (Buckingham, UK), a publisher of social science books and related materials for academic markets worldwide. No terms were given.

Open University Press is a publisher of academic texts in the social and health sciences. Originally established in 1977 by the British Open University, it was sold to senior management in 1988. The company has a backlist of over 800 titles and produces over 100 new books each year in such subjects as psychotherapy, criminology, education, politics, women's studies and sociology.

McGraw-Hill said the deal enables it to expand its global offerings of print and online products for the academic market. M-H Education president Robert Evans on said the deal "underscores our commitment to growing McGraw-Hill Education in Europe."

McGraw-Hill Education produces textbooks for courses in business, economics, computers, computer science and engineering.

In related news, McGraw-Hill has sold MMS International, a unit of Standard & Poor's (New York), to MMS Group (New York), a newly-formed company. MMS Group was established by a combination of institutional funds together with Alchemy Partners, the Halifax Bank of Scotland and senior MMS management. MMS International provides real-time, fixed-income and foreign exchange commentary and analysis to financial professionals worldwide.