Swets and Blackwell's individually have leading positions in a number of different geographic markets. The merger of the two companies will allow the new organisation to bring an extended range of services to libraries all round the world. The sharing of experience and resources in service and product development, and the expertise in responding to new purchasing trends such as library consortia, will result in significant benefits for the companies' customers. The Head Office of the joint venture will be located in The Netherlands. Over the years we have held Blackwell's in the highest regard, aware of the very significant reputation and tradition they have in the library community.
Employee satisfaction drives customer satisfaction.
That philosophy will be high on our agenda for the new partnership, where we shall continue to aim for the highest calibre of staff. Swets has an excellent reputation and we are pleased to be joining forces with such a quality company to deliver the best service for our customers. It is important to recognise that this business operates on wafer thin margins and that the cost of doing business via electronic as well as paper journal subscriptions has grown rapidly in the last 2-3 years. To have a sustainable business size and scale are becoming increasingly important. In a competitive global market we have now brought the necessary resources together to meet the growing needs of our customers worldwide.