What Delcourt Group does

Delcourt Group (Groupe Delcourt) is the third-largest French-language bande dessinée (BD) publishing group in France, founded in 1986 by Guy Delcourt after his departure from Éditions Dargaud and headquartered at 8 rue Léon Jouhaux in Paris. The group operates a multi-brand publishing portfolio across comics and graphic novels (Éditions Delcourt, Éditions Soleil), manga (Tonkam, Kbooks), webtoons (Kbooks/Verytoon), youth literature (Sens Dessus Dessous), and general literature (La Croisée, Marchialy, Les Avrils), with approximately 145 employees split between Paris and Toulon and roughly 730 new titles released annually. Disclosed annual revenue (CA PPHT) is approximately 105 million euros. Its competitive moats include the integrated distribution subsidiary Delsol Diffusion (the leading BD distributor in France by 2014, distributing for 22 publishers), agreements with Hachette Distribution Partners and Interforum, and an award record exceeding 70 prizes including multiple Fauve d'Or wins at the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée d'Angoulême.

The group's revenue mechanics rest on traditional B2C book sales through physical retail (bookstores, libraries, specialized comic retailers), complemented by digital distribution via Verytoon, rights-licensing income led by a dedicated Directrice des Cessions de Droits, and transaction-fee income from Delsol's third-party distribution business. Customer segments span four horizontal personas: general BD/graphic novel readers (primary), youth literature readers aged 3-10, manga and webtoon readers, and adult literary-fiction readers. Its go-to-market relies on a multi-channel marketing mix: festival participation (especially the Angoulême Festival, where Delcourt authors receive frequent awards), active social-media presence, dedicated press relations, and bookstore signing sessions.

In January 2025, Groupe Delcourt joined Groupe Editis — the second-largest French publishing group — with founder-président Guy Delcourt retained; the group also holds a minority stake in Belgian publisher Kennes Éditions (acquired 2021) and fully owns the Académie de Bande Dessinée Delcourt training school. Operations are GDPR-compliant and the group carries an Index Égalité Professionnelle Femmes/Hommes score of 94/100 (2022) and 90/100 (2025).

Name

Delcourt Group

Legal name

S.A.S ÉDITIONS DELCOURT GROUPE DELCOURT

Website

https://groupedelcourt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Delcourt Group is the third-largest French-language bande dessinée (BD) publishing group, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Paris, publishing approximately 730 comics, manga, youth literature, and general literature titles per year through multiple labels, with vertically integrated distribution via subsidiary Delsol Diffusion and generating around 105 million euros in annual revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Comic Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Other Publishers (51319)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Book Printing (2732)

akta.pro primary industry

Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)

Keywords

• Comic book publishing
• Manga publishing
• Graphic novel distribution
• Literature publishing
• Youth literature

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Book Sales - Comics/BD: Sale of comic books, graphic novels, manga, and youth literature through traditional publishing distribution channels including bookstores, libraries, and direct sales. Generates approximately 105 million euros in annual revenue.
2. Literature Publishing: Publishing of French and foreign literature through labels La Croisée, Marchialy, and Les Avrils
3. Diffusion Services: Delsol Diffusion provides distribution services for 22 publishers, acting as a key industry player in BD distribution since 2014
4. Licensing and Rights: Publishing house maintains significant market presence in Europe with licensing deals generating merchandise opportunities

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Delcourt Group is the third-largest French-language comic book (bande dessinée) publisher in France, publishing approximately 730 new titles annually across multiple imprints covering bande dessinée, manga, webtoons, youth literature, and general literary fiction. The group operates the Éditions Delcourt and Éditions Soleil publishing houses, the Tonkam manga imprint, the Kbooks webtoon label, the Verytoon digital webtoon platform, and literary imprints La Croisée, Marchialy, and Les Avrils. It also owns Delsol Diffusion, the leading French distributor of comic books, which serves 22 publishers, and runs the Académie de Bande Dessinée Delcourt vocational school.

Product overview

Groupe Delcourt is the third-largest French comic book publisher operating a multi-brand publishing portfolio. The group encompasses core brands Éditions Delcourt and Éditions Soleil, acquired manga publisher Tonkam, and webtoon brand Kbooks with its Verytoon platform. The company operates distribution subsidiary Delsol Diffusion (market leader in French comic distribution) and educational institution Académie de Bande Dessinée Delcourt. Literature operations span three labels: La Croisée (foreign fiction), Marchialy (narrative non-fiction), and Les Avrils (French literature). A youth literature label Sens Dessus Dessous was launched in 2023. The group publishes approximately 730 new titles annually across comics, manga, youth literature, and general literature.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Éditions Delcourt The original Delcourt publishing house, specializing in comics, graphic novels, novels, and youth comics with a generalist catalog spanning testimony and reportage, science fiction, historical narratives, crime, and humor.
• Éditions Soleil Publishing house featuring 18 BD collections, 4 manga collections, 2 comics collections, and 2 youth collections; known for heroic fantasy series (Lanfeust, Trolls de Troy, Les Naufragés d'Ythaq), humor titles (Les P'tits Diables, Les Blondes, Noob), and series like Rahan and Les Carnets de Cerise.
• Tonkam Manga publishing house serving as a reference publisher in the French manga market with an established catalog of Japanese manga titles.
• Kbooks Webtoon label that publishes Korean webtoon and manhwa content, including the global bestseller Solo Leveling.
• Verytoon Dedicated digital platform for reading Korean webtoons, providing online access to webtoon content from the group's Kbooks label and partners.
• Delsol Diffusion Specialized wholesale comic book distribution service in France, distributing for 22 publishers and coordinating commercial action with Hachette Distribution Partners and Interforum Distribution.
• Académie de Bande Dessinée Delcourt Private comic book art school offering professional training for aspiring comic book authors, with approximately 25-50 students enrolled annually.
• La Croisée Contemporary foreign fiction publishing label, translating and publishing fiction writers from around the world as part of the group's literature department.
• Marchialy Narrative non-fiction publishing house producing true stories with literary rigor, including adventure reports, gonzo journalism, and exploration narratives.
• Les Avrils French and Francophone contemporary literature label publishing first novels, established writers, fiction, and narratives.
• Sens Dessus Dessous Youth literature label publishing approximately 20 titles per year for readers aged 3-10, including illustrated fiction and documentaries.

Quantifiable outcome

• Third largest comic book publisher in France
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• EditisflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025In January 2025, Delcourt Group joined Editis, the second-largest French publishing group, ensuring the future of its teams and maintaining its independent editorial direction.
• Kennes ÉditionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Delcourt Group took a minority stake in Kennes Éditions, a Belgian publisher with €6M revenue and 700-title catalog. Delsol Diffusion had been distributing Kennes in France for three years before this strategic partnership.
• Académie de Bande Dessinée (Groupe Brassart)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Partnership with Groupe Brassart to open Académie de Bande Dessinée in Paris in 2014, offering professional training to 25-50 students annually in comic book creation. Rebranded as Académie de Bande Dessinée Delcourt in 2022.
• Hachette DistributioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2003Delsol Diffusion coordinates commercial action with Hachette Distribution for market expansion beyond direct French distribution channels.
• InterforumcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2003Delsol Diffusion coordinates commercial action with Interforum Distribution for expanded market reach and channel coordination.
• The Ink LinkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelcourt Group collaborates with The Ink Link association, publishing works to support social causes through comics.
• ESAT (Établissements et Services d'Aide par le Travail)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelcourt Group regularly works with ESAT (sheltered workshops) as part of their social responsibility initiatives, providing employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Éditions Dupuis: Belgian-origin French-language BD publisher (home of Spirou, Lucky Luke) and one of the largest BD houses in France; competes directly with Delcourt and Soleil in the Franco-Belgian BD market across all age segments.
• Dargaud: Major French-language BD publisher (Asterix, Blake & Mortimer) where founder Guy Delcourt previously worked; directly competes with Delcourt across mainstream and graphic novel BD and was recently acquired by Vivendi/Editis context, intensifying competitive overlap.
• Glénat: Independent French BD and manga publisher (publisher of Dragon Ball, One Piece in French); competes with Delcourt in both BD and manga, including the Tonkam segment, and shares the mid-sized independent positioning.
• Le Lombard: Belgian/French BD publisher (Tintin magazine heritage, Blake & Mortimer catalogue); directly comparable as a French-language BD house competing for adult and youth BD market share.
• Kana (Dargaud): Leading French-language manga imprint under Dargaud; directly competes with Delcourt's Tonkam and Kbooks labels in licensing, marketing, and shelf positioning for French-edition manga.
• Pika Édition: French manga publisher with strong catalog of Japanese titles (including Naruto, Boruto); competes directly with Tonkam for shelf space and licensing deals in the French manga market.
• Bamboo Édition: French BD publisher specializing in humor and youth titles; comparable mid-sized independent operating in the same retail channel with similar genre mix to portions of Delcourt's catalog.
• Panini France: Subsidiary of the global Panini Group publishing comics and manga in French; directly comparable in the comics/manga space and competes for similar retail and digital channels as Delcourt.

Broad incumbents

• Éditions Gallimard: Dominant French literary publisher whose BD imprint Gallimard BD competes with Delcourt's BD and literature labels; broader scale and prestige position make it a benchmark incumbent across Delcourt's generalist catalog.
• Hachette Livre: France's largest publishing group and a distribution partner of Delsol Diffusion; competes broadly in BD (through Grasset, Fayard imprints and manga via Kazé) and sets the structural pricing/distribution standard Delcourt must match.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groupe-delcourt

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Delcourt Group