- Mark Allen has acquired six shares of Lewis Business Media.
- This gives them control of agricultural brands like PigWorld, Poultry Business, Agronomist & Arable Farmer, Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer, Weekly Tribune, and Women in Agriculture.
- These assets will be integrated into MA Agriculture Limited, a subsidiary of Mark Allen, and will complement the company’s existing farming publication, Farmers Weekly.
UK-based media and information group, Mark Allen (MA), has announced the acquisition of shares of Lewis Business Media, which holds the assets relating to the following agricultural brands: PigWorld, Poultry Business, Agronomist & Arable Farmer, Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer, Weekly Tribune and the newly launched event, Women in Agriculture.
The consideration is yet to be disclosed.
These assets will sit alongside Farmers Weekly in MA Agriculture Limited, one of eight operating companies in Mark Allen, and its market-leading farming publication. The Lewis assets will contribute to the Mark Allen Group’s farming interest, providing specialised insights into the pig, poultry, arable, and contractor markets, areas which already feature more broadly in Farmers Weekly. The deal allows the Lewis Business Media family to continue to publish a range of other non-agricultural titles, including Retail Destination, Pet Business World, Over the Counter, Pest, Hospitality Interiors, The SubPostmaster, PHU/PRA market report and TheJobCrowd.
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Ben Allen the CEO of Mark Allen, said: “This is a fantastic acquisition for us. It extends the reach of Farmers Weekly, providing extensive opportunities, synergies, and cover. Despite challenges in the market, the Lewis farming assets have performed very strongly, demonstrating the strength of these brands. They will make a tremendous addition to Farmers Weekly. It has been a very smooth and collaborative transaction, and I have particularly enjoyed working with Simon on this deal, who shares the same values in running a family business which we ascribe to.”
Simon Lewis, the Managing Director of Lewis Business Media, said: “We are delighted to have concluded this agreement with the Mark Allen Group. We have very much enjoyed publishing in these markets and would like to thank all those who worked with us over the period, a number of whom have become good friends. We do not think that there could be a better fit for this group of brands than the Mark Allen stable and look forward to watching them flourish in their new environment. Our experience of everyone we have dealt with at the Mark Allen Group during this process, especially Mark and Ben, has been nothing but positive, and we wish them well in the future.”
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Simon is the son of company founders, John and Elizabeth Lewis. Simon will remain with the business for a short time, principally to deliver the National Pig Awards which take place in London later in November.
