5.7 million transaction. BolognaFiere enters the capital of Gambero Rosso

One of Italy most important exhibition centers, BolognaFiere, has acquired a stake in Gambero Rosso, one of the most authoritative and widely recognized publishing brands in the Italian agri-food sector, through an investment of 5.7 million euros. The Emilia-Romagna-based exhibition company has finalized an industrial partnership with Class Editori involving Gambero Rosso, “which - states BolognaFiere press release - today represents the leading point of reference in Italy for information, training, promotion, and consulting in the wine, travel and food sector, offering a comprehensive range of integrated services supporting agriculture, agri-food production, restaurants, and the Italian hospitality industry”.
The transaction (financed entirely through BolognaFiere own resources), involved the creation of Gambero Rosso Holding, into which Class Editori contributed more than 7.3 million ordinary shares of Gambero Rosso (which is expected to generate nearly 15 million euros in revenue in 2025), representing 51.17% of the company share capital, while keeping a direct 10% stake in the company. BolognaFiere acquired 49.9% of the Holding from Class Editori for 5.693 million euros, fully financed with its own funds. The remaining 50.1% remains under Class Editori ownership, enabling it to continue exercising control over Gambero Rosso.
“The agreement also includes cross put and call options on the shares of GR Holding, exercisable starting from the approval of the 2028 financial statements, as well as the appointment of three of the twelve members of Gambero Rosso board of directors by BolognaFiere, one of whom will serve as Vice Chairman. Class Editori will nevertheless ensure Gambero Rosso editorial continuity, with no changes to its market positioning or to its wine and food product evaluation and certification activities”.
“With this transaction, continues the press release - BolognaFiere strengthens its strategic presence in the food and wine sector, combining its expertise in organizing and delivering national and international trade fairs and events with Gambero Rosso activities. The collaboration will also develop through specific organizational and promotional agreements, without altering Gambero Rosso positioning or its core activities relating to the assessment and certification of wine and food quality, with the shared objective of further enhancing the value of the brand”.
“The entry of BolognaFiere into Gambero Rosso share capital represents a strategic investment in one of the most authoritative and widely recognized publishing brands within the Italian agri-food system”, observes Gianpiero Calzolari, president of BolognaFiere, explaining that “the goal is to strengthen the international presence of Italy food and wine excellence. This transaction is fully consistent with the BolognaFiere Group growth and diversification strategy and with our mission to build platforms capable of connecting companies, markets, and territories, thereby contributing to the promotion of made in Italy worldwide”. “This transaction represents an important step in enhancing the value of Gambero Rosso”, debates Paolo Panerai, vicepresident and ceo of Class Editori (who is also a wine producer in Tuscany and Sicily), adding that Gambero Rosso “will be able to rely on BolognaFiere extensive Italian and international experience to further strengthen its positioning in the wine, travel and food sector”.
According to the press release, “the transaction qualifies as non-material under Article 12 of the Euronext Growth Milan Issuers’ Regulation, as none of the applicable significance indicators exceed the 25% threshold. Within the scope of the transaction, BolognaFiere was assisted by Advant Nctm for all legal and tax matters, Bper Corporate & Investment Banking as financial advisor, PwC for financial due diligence, and S. Cohen & Co. as business advisor”.
Through its international expansion in the wine sector, BolognaFiere is investing increasingly more in its role as a wine industry hub. In addition to its internationally focused Wines Experience events, the exhibition center hosts Slow Wine Fair (organized with Slow Food), whose 2026 edition recently concluded; Champagne Experience (organized by Excellence Sidi, a consortium of 21 leading Italian importers and distributors of premium wines and spirits), scheduled for October 4th-5th; and Mercato dei Vini dei Vignaioli Indipendenti by Fivi, taking place from November 21st-23rd. Wine is a strategic asset in which BolognaFiere is investing more and more, as president Gianpiero Calzolari explained in an interview with WineNews in recent months.