Presses Universitaires de Rennes

What Presses Universitaires de Rennes does

Presses Universitaires de Rennes (PUR) is a French academic publishing house founded in 1984 by teachers-researchers at Université Rennes 2 and structured as a SAIC (Service d'Activités Industrielles et Commerciales). It operates a 13-university editorial consortium spanning institutions such as Angers, Brest, Nantes, Poitiers, Rennes 1, Rennes 2, and Switzerland's Université de Lausanne, producing peer-reviewed scholarly books in humanities and social sciences. The catalog comprises 6,500 titles distributed across 60 collections and 14 fundamental research journals, with an annual output of approximately 200 new books covering history, philosophy, sociology, literature, languages, geography, archaeology, law, and economics.

The business model combines several revenue streams: paper book sales through physical bookstores and direct e-commerce, ebook and e-pub distribution, journal subscriptions (with selected open access), and importantly, publishing subsidies and grants from public partners including the Centre National du Livre (CNL) and contributing universities — a structural necessity given that specialized research books are acknowledged to be commercially non-self-sustaining. Pricing is tiered: standard paper books list near €23, e-pub editions around €10.99, and educational/competitive exam manuals range €5.99–€25. The press maintains a freemium digital model and supports gold open access for selected titles, distributed through its own website plus partner platforms Cairn, Numilog, OpenEdition Journals/Books, and Persée. Marketing reaches researchers through university networks, regional book fairs (Blois, Saint-Dié, Saint-Malo, Fontainebleau, among others), and a regular newsletter. PUR is led by Director Pierre-Henry Frangne, operates with a small team of 14 employees, has no disclosed revenue, no external equity ownership, and no parent company beyond its academic host institution Université Rennes 2.

Name

Presses Universitaires de Rennes

Legal name

Presses universitaires de Rennes (PUR)

Website

https://pur-editions.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Presses Universitaires de Rennes is a French academic publisher founded in 1984, operated as a 13-university consortium that produces peer-reviewed books, journals, and exam-preparation materials in humanities and social sciences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Publishing (Scholarly Books and Journals)

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE), Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC), Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Political Science) (EDAGABAD)

Keywords

• Academic book publishing
• Scholarly journals
• Humanities social sciences
• University press
• Open access publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Rennes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book sales (paper): Sale of paper books through bookstores and direct website orders. The publisher distributes approximately 200 new books per year across 60 collections, with a catalog of 6,500 titles.
2. Digital book sales: Sale of e-pub and ebook versions of publications through their website and partner platforms (Numilog).
3. Journal subscriptions and sales: Publication and distribution of 14 research journals. Digital versions available either in open access or with embargo periods.
4. Publishing subsidies and grants: Financial support from partner universities and public institutions (CNL, universities, schools, research teams) to subsidize academic publishing. This is critical as research books do not sell sufficiently to achieve financial equilibrium on their own.
5. Freemium digital model: Books available in three modes: free online consultation and citation, paid ebook/pdf, and paid paper edition. Some publications offered in full open access (gold model).

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Presses Universitaires de Rennes is a French university press that publishes academic books (approximately 200 new titles per year, 6,500-title catalog across 60 collections) and 14 research journals in the humanities and social sciences. It operates as a SAIC (Service d'Activités Industrielles et Commerciales) within a consortium of 13 French and Swiss partner universities led by Université Rennes 2, distributing works in print, e-pub, ebook, and open-access formats.

Product overview

Presses Universitaires de Rennes (PUR) is a university press publisher established in 1984, operating as a network of 13 partner universities within a SAIC (Service d'Activités Industrielles et Commerciales). The publisher offers a comprehensive portfolio comprising academic book publishing in humanities and social sciences (6,500+ titles across 60 collections), 14 fundamental research journals, the Didact textbook collection for competitive exam preparation (CAPES, aggregation), illustrated art books (Beaux-livres), and digital distribution via multiple electronic platforms (Cairn, Numilog, OpenEdition, Persée). The core offering centers on peer-reviewed academic publishing with open access options, supplemented by educational materials for French competitive exams and digital delivery through partner platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Academic Book Publishing (Sciences Humaines et Sociales) Publishing of academic books in humanities and social sciences across 60 collections, with a catalog of 6,500 titles and approximately 200 new books published annually. Covers disciplines including history, philosophy, geography, sociology, literature, languages, archaeology, law, economics, art history, and psychology. Distributed in print, e-pub, ebook, and open-access formats for researchers, students, and the general public.
• Research Journals Publication and distribution of 14 fundamental research journals covering various disciplines in humanities and social sciences. Digital versions are available either in open access or with embargo periods.
• Didact Collection Transdisciplinary textbook collection for competitive exam preparation, including CAPES and agrégation exams in various humanities and social sciences disciplines. Prices range from 5.99€ to 25.00€ for educational materials.
• Beaux-livres - Histoire (Illustrated Art and History Books) Illustrated art books and essays targeting a broader public audience beyond academic specialists, including regional history titles on Bretagne and other cultural topics.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Université Rennes 2 (lead institution)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1984Lead institution of the PUR network. Founded in 1984 to take control of publishing and valorization of research from Rennes 2's teacher-researchers in humanities and social sciences. Rennes 2 hosts the SAIC structure managing the press.
• Université d'AngerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university contributing to the editorial network. Faculty from Angers contribute to publications such as 'Les dons d'archives et de bibliothèques' with institutional support.
• Université de Bretagne occidentale (Brest)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university in the 13-university editorial network of PUR.
• Université de Bretagne sud (Lorient-Vannes)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university in the 13-university editorial network of PUR.
• Université Gustave-EiffelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university in the 13-university editorial network of PUR.
• Université de La RochellecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university in the 13-university editorial network of PUR.
• Université de LausannecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner university (Swiss) in the 13-university editorial network of PUR.
• Université du ManscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university in the 13-university editorial network of PUR.
• Université de NantescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university in the 13-university editorial network of PUR.
• Université d'OrléanscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university in the 13-university editorial network of PUR.
• Université Paris-Est CréteilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university in the 13-university editorial network of PUR.
• Université de PoitierscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university in the 13-university editorial network of PUR.
• Université de Rennes 1coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university in the 13-university editorial network of PUR.
• CairncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAcademic platform for digital distribution of French humanities and social sciences publications.
• NumilogcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDigital bookstore platform for distribution of ebooks and electronic publications.
• OpenEditioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPlatform for journals (OpenEdition Journals) and books (OpenEdition Books) in open access and paid formats.
• PerséeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench open-access publication platform for scientific journals and documents.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• OpenEdition: OpenEdition is both a distribution partner for PUR and a French open-access publishing platform for humanities and social sciences books and journals. Included as a directly adjacent ecosystem participant shaping PUR's digital distribution economics.

Direct peers

• Éditions de la Sorbonne: Sorbonne-affiliated French academic press publishing humanities and social sciences books and journals. Directly comparable as a university press serving French scholarly audiences.
• Presses Universitaires de France (PUF): PUF is France's flagship university press, publishing scholarly books and journals across humanities and social sciences. It is the closest direct comparable to PUR in scale, mission, and target market.
• Classiques Garnier: French academic publisher specializing in humanities monographs, journals, and literary studies with a strong humanities focus. Directly comparable product mix and target customer base to PUR.
• Presses Universitaires de Strasbourg: Another French university press producing scholarly books and journals in humanities and social sciences. It is highly comparable as a regional university press with similar institutional structure and editorial scope.
• ENS Éditions: Publishing arm of the École Normale Supérieure, producing humanities and social sciences scholarship in French. Comparable as a French elite-institution-affiliated academic press.
• Presses Universitaires de Lyon: Lyon-based French university press publishing humanities and social sciences scholarship. Comparable in mission, structure, and product mix to PUR.
• CNRS Éditions: CNRS Éditions is the publishing arm of France's national scientific research center, focused on humanities and social sciences monographs and journals. It mirrors PUR's public-institution publishing model and academic audience.

Broad incumbents

• Armand Colin: Long-established French academic publisher (now part of Hachette) covering humanities, social sciences, and university textbooks including competitive exam prep. Comparable in subject area but operates at larger scale and broader scope than PUR.
• Brill: International academic publisher with a major humanities and social sciences book and journal program. Comparable as a humanities scholarly publisher but operates globally at much greater scale than PUR.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/presses-universitaires-de-rennes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Presses Universitaires de Rennes