Woche-Pass

What Woche-Pass does

Woche-Pass AG is a privately held, family-owned Swiss regional media house headquartered in Sursee, operating the weekly free newspaper 'Woche-Pass' since 1985 with a weekly circulation of approximately 40,000 copies and 55,000 for large monthly editions, achieving 100% household coverage across the Sursee-Willisau region of central Switzerland. The company serves five primary customer segments: regional SMBs buying print and digital advertising, real estate agents using property listings and 360-degree Matterport virtual tours, regional employers and job seekers, local event organizers, and the general household population receiving the free newspaper and consuming digital archive content.

The business operates a hybrid print-digital model monetized through five revenue streams: print display advertising (sized 1/16 page to full page with color and placement surcharges), classified ads in print and digital (CHF 30-87 per insertion for SMB and consumer listings), premium 360-degree virtual property tours for real estate agents, event publication fees, and specialty print products (greeting cards for Christmas, birth, wedding, and communion/confirmation). Go-to-market is sales-led for advertisers with a self-service digital portal for classifieds, events, and job postings, plus direct-to-consumer household distribution of the weekly newspaper.

The technology stack is operated through the wholly-owned digital subsidiary instride AG (formerly w-vision AG), built on Pimcore as the core CMS for content, digital asset, and product information management across print and digital channels, with Yumpu powering flipbook-style digital editions, HubSpot and MailChimp handling CRM and newsletter automation, and Algolia providing typo-tolerant site search. The group also owns Wochen-Post Verlag AG (acquired 2011), a separate legal entity publishing 'Wochen-Post' and 'Aarauer Blitz' in Aargau, and is part of the six-publisher Kombi-Partner network sharing a single sign-on and joint cross-regional advertising inventory (powerkombi.ch).

Name

Woche-Pass

Legal name

Woche-Pass AG

Website

https://woche-pass.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Woche-Pass AG is a family-owned Swiss regional media house publishing the free weekly newspaper 'Woche-Pass' (40,000-55,000 circulation) with 100% household coverage in the Sursee-Willisau region, monetizing through print and digital advertising, classifieds, event listings, and 360-degree property virtual tours.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Newsstand & Aggregation Platforms (Magazine/News Apps, Bundles) (MPAJAKAE)

Keywords

• Regional newspaper publishing
• Print advertising services
• Classified ad placement
• Local event listings
• Community media distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Sursee

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print advertising: Core revenue from selling advertising space in the weekly newspaper. Ad sizes range from 1/16 page to full page, with color and placement surcharges. Payment terms include credit card, bank transfer, PostFinance, or payment slip (ESR).
2. Classified ads: Revenue from small classified advertisements including job listings, real estate, vehicles, and personal notices. These appear in both print and digital editions.
3. 360-degree property views: Premium service offering virtual property tours for real estate managers and property owners.
4. Event publication services: Fees for publishing and promoting events on the online portal.
5. Print products: Specialty print products including greeting cards (Christmas, birth, wedding, communion/confirmation).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Woche-Pass AG publishes a free weekly regional newspaper (Woche-Pass) distributed to approximately 40,000 households across the Sursee-Willisau region of central Switzerland, with up to 240 pages per issue. The company sells advertising space and classified listings in the print edition and operates a complementary digital platform covering event calendars, real estate listings, job postings, apprenticeship offers, and 360-degree virtual property tours for local businesses, organizations, job seekers, and households.

Product overview

Woche-Pass AG operates as a cross-media regional media house centered around its flagship weekly newspaper 'Woche-Pass' (40,000-55,000 circulation), published since 1985 in the Sursee-Willisau region. The company has expanded from print-only to a cross-media platform offering digital products including an event calendar, classified ads (Kleinanzeigen), real estate listings (Immobilien-Markt), job marketplace (Stellen-Markt), and apprenticeship listings (Lehrstellen). Additional services include 360-degree property virtual tours, print products (greeting cards, wedding announcements), and advertising placement services. The digital platform is powered by technology developed in-house through its subsidiary instride AG (formerly w-vision AG). The subsidiary instride AG provides the technical infrastructure and also offers its services externally to other clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Woche-Pass Weekly Newspaper Flagship free weekly regional newspaper distributed to all households in the Sursee-Willisau region, with a regular circulation of 40,000 copies and 55,000 copies for monthly large editions.
• Wochen-Post Newspaper Regional newspaper published in the Aargau region, acquired in 2011 and maintained as a separate legal entity with design aligned to the Woche-Pass brand.
• 360-Degree Property Views
• Classified Ads (Kleinanzeigen)
• Event Calendar (Veranstaltungskalender)
• Real Estate Market (Immobilien-Markt)
• Job Market (Stellen-Markt)
• Apprenticeship Listings (Lehrstellen)
• Custom Print Products (Druckprodukte)
• Advertising Placement Services (Inserate)
• Newsletter Subscription (Newsletter-Abonnement)

Quantifiable outcome

• 40,000 weekly circulation with 55,000 for monthly large editions
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration23 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• w-vision AG (now instride AG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2016Web division founded in January 2016 with 3-person team. Spun off as independent legal entity in 2018 with co-owner Aaron Gerig. Rebranded to instride AG in February 2024 due to growth and repositioning. Remains a subsidiary of Woche-Pass AG.
• Wochen-Post Verlag AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2011Acquired in 2011 as part of succession planning. Based in Reinach AG with titles 'Wochen-Post' and 'Aarauer Blitz'. Remains as independent legal entity. Design and layout aligned with Woche-Pass brand since 2012.
• Aktuell Obwalden AGminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional publishing partner based in Sarnen (Obwalden). One of the Kombi-Partner network publishers in central Switzerland.
• Ämme ExpressminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional publishing partner based in Schüpfheim (Emmental region). Part of the Kombi-Partner network.
• Barni-Post AGminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional publishing partner based in Hochdorf (Lucerne). Part of the Kombi-Partner network for regional distribution.
• Gisler 1843 AGminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional publishing partner based in Altdorf UR (Uri). Part of the Kombi-Partner network.
• Nidwaldner BlitzminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional publishing partner based in Dallenwil (Nidwalden). Part of the Kombi-Partner network.
• Schwyzer AnzeigerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional publishing partner based in Schwyz. Part of the Kombi-Partner network.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Blick: Switzerland's largest national tabloid newspaper with strong regional advertising products. Competes with Woche-Pass for large national advertisers that want combined national + regional reach, and increasingly for digital reader attention in Woche-Pass's catchment.
• CH Media: Largest regional newspaper group in Switzerland, owner of titles including Luzerner Zeitung, Aargauer Zeitung, and St. Galler Tagblatt. Operates at scale with shared editorial, advertising, and tech infrastructure that Woche-Pass lacks as an independent.
• 20 Minuten: Switzerland's largest free daily newspaper, distributed nationally including central Switzerland. Competes with Woche-Pass for free-press advertising budgets and reader attention across overlapping geographies, though at a national scale with much larger resources.

Emerging players

• Zentralplus: Digital-first news platform covering central Switzerland (Lucerne and surrounding cantons), including Woche-Pass's core Sursee-Willisau market. Competes for digital advertising spend and online reader attention with a leaner cost structure than print publishers.
• Nau.ch: Swiss digital news platform focused on regional and local news with push-notification distribution. Represents the digital-native model that competes for the local-news audience and digital ad budgets that Woche-Pass is also pursuing through its portal.

Direct peers

• Luzerner Zeitung: Regional daily newspaper published by CH Media serving the Lucerne canton, which overlaps with Woche-Pass's Sursee-Willisau catchment. Both monetise local news and advertising in central Switzerland, competing for the same regional advertisers and audience attention.
• Aargauer Zeitung (AZ Medien): Regional newspaper group covering Aargau canton — the same region where Woche-Pass acquired and operates Wochen-Post Verlag AG. Direct overlap in advertising inventory and reader coverage of the Reinach/Aargau market.
• Nidwaldner Blitz / Aktuell Obwalden / Barni-Post: Small regional weekly newspaper publishers in the Woche-Pass Kombi-Partner alliance. They operate essentially the same model (free weekly print + local advertising + classifieds) in neighbouring cantons and co-distribute with Woche-Pass, making them both partners and closest comparable regional peers.

Regional players

• Bote der Urschweiz: Regional newspaper serving Uri, Schwyz, and Obwalden — neighbouring central-Swiss cantons within Woche-Pass's Kombi-Partner network. Comparable free/regional-press model targeting adjacent rural and small-town audiences and advertisers.

Others

• instride AG: Wholly-owned subsidiary of Woche-Pass AG (formerly w-vision AG), providing web/digital services to external clients. While not a competitor, it is comparable to Swiss digital agencies and is the primary growth-side platform through which Woche-Pass's technology is being commercialised.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wochepass

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Woche-Pass