Prestalis

   known until 2009 as NMPP (Nouvelles Messageries de la Presse Parisienne) is a private company holding a virtual monopoly over the distribution of newspapers and magazines in France. Set up in 1947 with the aim of ensuring that all publications so wishing could benefit from guaranteed national or regional distribution, it today distributes over 100 dailies and over 3500 magazines, representing some 80% of the market - to some 29,000 points of sale in France. Prestalis's dominant position in press distribution has its drawbacks; the company has been attacked for abusing its position and for fixing minimum quantity levels for magazine distribution, making its services too costly for many niche market publications. Prestalis is a joint-venture owned by Hachette (49%) and France's main magazine publishers.