ZNU stands for Zuidnederlandse Uitgeverij (Southern Netherlands in the sense of Flanders) and was founded after the acquisition of Sheed & Ward, a publisher of religious books, in 1951. The new name ZNU was implemented in 1956. In the early years, ZNU focused on publishing popular children's books. Classic reading series such as De Rode Ridder , television series such as Lassie and Flipper , informative books and educational editions gave ZNU a prominent place in the publishing landscape and a solid position in the Flemish market.
A further market expansion in the Dutch language area was ensured with the establishment of the Centrale Uitgeverij (CU) in Amsterdam in 1962. Today, the offices of CU are located in Oosterhout and from there the sales and distribution for the Dutch market are taken care of.
ZNU also became active in Wallonia and France in the 1970s. From then on, the publications for the French market would appear under the brand name Chantecler, while the Dutch-language books have since appeared under the brand name Deltas.
In 1994 ZNU acquired the shares of Standaard Boekhandel, the largest bookstore chain in Flanders. Club, the most important bookstore chain in Wallonia, was recently added to the group.
ZNU is still a fully independent Belgian company, which occupies a leading position in the Benelux book market. In addition, our publications have appeared in more than 30 languages around the world over the years.
