Thomson Reuters to sell peHUB, Buyouts and Venture Capital Journal

September 12, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

Thomson Reuters LogoThomson Reuters is selling several of its trade publications, including peHUB, Buyouts and Venture Capital Journal, according to a report in peHUB.

PeHUB, Buyouts and VCJ are produced by Thomson Reuters’ Deals Group, which employs a dozen journalists.

  • Buyouts is a bi-weekly magazine that covers news and trends in the buyouts market.
  • Venture Capital Journal is a monthly magazine that covers the venture capital business.
  • peHUB is a blog that covers PE and VC news.

The Deals Group also publishes peHUB Wire, a free daily email newsletter . The Wire reportedly has more than 60,000 subscribers. Subscriber numbers were unavailable for Buyouts, which costs $2,695 per year, and VCJ, which costs $2,295 annually. Thomson Reuters also doesn’t disclose the number of monthly unique visitors to peHUB.

USA, New York, NY & UK, London

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ECI invests in ATG Media

July 6, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

atgmediaECI Partners has invested in ATG Media, a pioneer of webcast and timed online auction platforms. ECI will partner with ATG’s management and existing investor Mobeus Equity Partners to help drive the company’s ongoing international expansion.

ATG operates the-saleroom.com, i-bidder.com, BidSpotter.co.uk and BidSpotter.com as well as publishing the antiques industry bible, Antiques Trade Gazette.

ATG’s platforms allow bidders from around the world to browse fully illustrated sale catalogues and place bids over the internet in real time, with live audio and video feeds delivering the auction room atmosphere. Bidders are also able to participate in timed, online only auctions.

ATG’s growth has been driven by the continued shift of bidders online and ATG’s ability to provide auctioneers with a larger bidder base.

Tom Wrenn, Partner and head of TMT at ECI, commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with ATG Media as the company transitions into its next growth phase. As a growth focused investor we were attracted to ATG by its market leading technology and strong brand recognition, attributes that have driven its market penetration.
“We look forward to working with Anne’s team and Mobeus to help drive ATG’s continued expansion in the UK and internationally.”

UK, London

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Immediate Media Co to acquire Future’s Sport and Craft titles

May 29, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

IMMEDIATE_Logo_NoText_CMYK_Cyan2-300x117Immediate Media Co, the media business formed in 2011 by the merger of BBC Magazines and digital platform company Magicalia, is acquiring Future plc’s Sport and Craft titles for up to £24m, comprising up to £22 million in cash and £2 million of magazines subscriptions deferred revenue to be retained by Future. The transaction is set to complete during the summer.

futureplcFuture’s Sport titles reach over 4.7 million unique users a month. Focused on cycling, the Sport portfolio includes BikeRadar.com,
the world’s largest cycling reviews website as well as Cyclingnews.com. The print portfolio has a monthly circulation of more than 100,000 with Cycling Plus delivering 14 years of continuous circulation growth, alongside Procycling and Mountain Biking UK.

The Craft sector has shown impressive growth in print in the past few years, with a track record of successful launches, including the recent Love Patchwork & Quilting. Simply Knitting is the largest audited print Craft title in the UK, while contemporary brand Mollie Makes has re-invigorated the general craft market, with the largest combined circulation, including digital editions. The deal also includes Future’s contemporary lifestyle brand The Simple Things. The brands will join Immediate’s own portfolio of titles including Cardmaking and Papercraft, Craftseller and The World of Cross Stitching.

Immediate CEO Tom Bureau said, “We are delighted to have reached this agreement with Future. Immediate’s strategy is to create the leading special interest content and platform company, and these brands fit with our vision. We are developing our business around leading content brands, highly-engaged specialist communities, and multi-platform commercial models. Backed by Exponent Private Equity, we have a track record of investing in our brands, around content and platforms, and we are excited to be welcoming the new teams to our company.”

UK, London

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Bowmark and Five Arrows acquire Autodata

May 27, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

autodata

Bowmark Capital, the mid-market private equity firm, and Five Arrows Principal Investments, the private equity fund of the Rothschild Group, have acquired Autodata Publishing Group, Europe’s leading provider of technical information to the automotive aftermarket, for an enterprise value of £143 million.

Autodata publishes technical information on 17,000 vehicle models from 80 manufacturers.  Its products provide over 80,000 professional workshops with access to a comprehensive suite of up-to-date technical data and guidance on cars, light commercial vehicles and motorcycles, enabling them to carry out service, repair and diagnostic work.

The company was founded in 1975 by Richard Atherton and Dietmar Otto, is headquartered in Maidenhead and employs approximately 190 staff.

Repair and maintenance information has become increasingly important to automotive professionals, due to the growing complexity of modern cars, increasing model proliferation and the introduction of new technologies.

With its strong product range, and the high quality, breadth and accuracy of its data, Autodata has established itself as the leading supplier of essential technical information to the professional automotive aftermarket in Europe.  The company is well-positioned for future growth, driven by the continued enhancement of its content and information systems, increased penetration of new territories in both Europe and beyond, and further expansion into diagnostic applications.

Bowmark partner, Julian Masters, said:  “Autodata has an outstanding reputation in its marketplace.  Its products provide ’must have’ information to one of Europe’s most important industries, providing the mechanic with an invaluable work-flow tool across the entire European car fleet.  We are delighted to have this opportunity to work with the management on the next exciting stage in the company’s development.”

Javed Khan, co-managing partner of Five Arrows, said: “The market opportunity for Autodata is compelling, based on the further development of its content and delivery channels, and there is also significant scope for geographic expansion.  We have been greatly impressed with the achievements of Rod and his management team, and look forward to working with them in the next phase of Autodata’s growth, in partnership with Bowmark Capital.”

UK, London & Maidenhead, Kent

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A Fusion Deal: Law Business Research sold to Bowmark Capital

February 11, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

lbrFusion Corporate Partners are pleased to announce the sale of specialist legal publisher Law Business Research to Bowmark Capital, the mid-market private equity firm. Bowmark Capital invested alongside the company’s founders, Richard Davey, Callum Campbell and Sebastian O’Meara. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Fusion team was led by Paul Slight.

Established in 1996, Law Business Research (“LBR”) publishes research, data and analysis on international business law and legal markets.  The company produces leading publications in fields such as international anti-trust law, arbitration law and Latin American law, and prides itself on creating essential and unique information for its subscribers in over 100 jurisdictions.

LBR today employs over 100 people in the UK, US and Brazil.  Its portfolio of products spans news publications, know-how guides, legal rankings and events, and includes titles such as “Global Competition Review”, “Global Arbitration Review”, “Getting The Deal Through” and “Latin Lawyer”.  The company serves all the world’s leading law firms and counts a large number of major corporations and regulators among its clients.

The international legal market has grown significantly in recent years, driven by globalisation and the growth in cross-border trade, and this has fuelled the demand for increasingly sophisticated and timely information from the legal profession.  With the backing of private equity, LBR is now seeking to further capitalise on this growth, by expanding both its sector and geographic coverage.

Richard Davey, LBR’s managing director, commented:  “We have ambitious plans to continue developing our business, and to further extend the depth and breadth of our services – while continuing to provide the highest quality content to our subscribers worldwide.  In Bowmark, we have found a supportive and experienced financial partner to help us achieve these goals.”

Bowmark partner, Julian Masters, said:  “LBR is a unique business in a growing market, with an outstanding reputation based on the quality of its content.  We are delighted to be backing Richard Davey and his team in the next stage of the company’s growth.”

UK, London

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