Newspaper & Mailroom

Star Media Group Signs Agreement to Acquire SUHAAG Group

Wednesday 01. October 2008 - Publishing and events company serves South Asian community

Star Media Group announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire SUHAAG Group Inc., a leading South Asian event, publishing and promotions company in Canada, with a successful history of developing and expanding major wedding, fashion and lifestyle events and related products.

“This acquisition is a perfect fit with our strategy to become the leader in the multicultural publication sector,” said Carol Peddie, Vice-President, Business Ventures, Star Media Group. “We currently publish Sing Tao, the largest Chinese newspaper in Canada, and we have a strong lineup of multicultural publications, including Canadian Immigrant Magazine, which caters to immigrants from all cultural backgrounds, Desi Life, a bi-monthly magazine for South Asian communities in the Greater Toronto Area, and Sway, a magazine geared towards Toronto’s African and Caribbean Canadian communities.

“It will significantly help Star Media Group to strengthen its portfolio of products serving the South Asian community,” she added.

Meaning “wedding” in Hindi, the SUHAAG Group operates two major bridal shows each year in the Greater Toronto Area, an annual bridal magazine that is distributed nationally, a regular radio program and other wedding and fashion related products for the South Asian community.

SUHAAG Group Inc. was created in 1997 by founder Gautam Sharma to provide what he describes as “media opportunities for the South Asian community to come together and offer their products and services to potential clients.” SUHAAG’s first bridal show started with 30 vendors and now has more than 130 vendors. In 2000, SUHAAG Magazine was launched. Its latest edition carried more than 350 pages of features on weddings, fashion, lifestyles and glamour.

The South Asian community is the largest visible minority group in Canada and the South Asian bridal market is a lucrative and distinctive marketing niche. The acquisition by the Star Media Group will allow SUHAAG to further assist and provide services to this ever-growing community.

The acquisition is expected to close later this week and will not affect the day-to-day operations of SUHAAG. Sharma and co-publisher and partner Sanjay Agnihotri will continue in their current positions.