Who owns Penguin Books?
Penguin Books is owned by Bertelsmann (Germany).[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Key facts
- Current owner
- Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA reported
- Owned since
- Not recorded
- Previous owner
- None recorded
- Owner HQ
- 🇩🇪 Germany, Gütersloh
- Origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom, London
- Founded
- 1935
- Category
- Media & entertainment › Publishing › Book publishers
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Penguin Books
Penguin was founded in 1935 to sell quality paperbacks at the price of a packet of cigarettes, sold initially from a vending machine on Charing Cross Road. Its orange and white covers are among the most recognised in publishing. Its founder Allen Lane conceived it after failing to find anything worth reading at a railway station, and the first ten titles included Hemingway and Agatha Christie.
Ownership timeline of Penguin Books
- 1935 – present Bertelsmann [1] reported
Where Penguin Books sits in Bertelsmann
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Bertelsmann ownership tree →
Other brands owned by Bertelsmann in media & entertainment
Latest news about Penguin Books
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Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Penguin Books?
The parent company of Penguin Books is Bertelsmann, a family-owned company headquartered in Germany.
Is Penguin Books British or German?
Penguin Books originated in the United Kingdom in 1935, but it is owned today by Bertelsmann, which is headquartered in Germany. So Penguin Books is a British-origin brand under German ownership.
Is Penguin Books still owned by Bertelsmann?
Yes. As of 8 September 2026, Penguin Books is still owned by Bertelsmann. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA Annual Report 2025 — Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, Annual report, published 31 March 2026; retrieved 8 September 2026.
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