Highly Profitable and Beloved Community Magazine in the Cotswolds
£30,000
£45,000
£10,000
Overview
Relocatable
2009
- Excellent reputation
- Low overheads
- Loyal advertiser base and readership
- Secure contracts in place
New to the market is a local community, printed magazine based in the south-east Cotswolds. Also available online, the magazine is delivered to Fairford, Lechlade, and the surrounding villages. The total print run covers an extensive area which goes from Down Ampney in Gloucestershire to Langford in Oxfordshire.
Distributed monthly - excluding January and August - Ripples Community Magazine brings news stories, photographs, and information to the residents of the south-east Cotswolds, therefore helping readers to stay informed and celebrate their community. Since its inception in 2009, the publication has used local reporters and contributors to deliver high-quality content. The business prides itself on achieving a 60:40 ratio between editorial copy and advertising respectively, which is a comparatively low proportion of adverts when contrasted with other magazines. This is also valuable in positioning the brand as a true community magazine, rather than a mere ‘admag’. Sponsors highly value the extensive reach of the publication, which includes 12,000 print readers across 6,000 addresses.
After more than a decade of success and a warm reception from the local community, the two founders are now retiring from the business and looking for a buyer who understands the community spirit of the magazine and is able to realise its full potential.
The magazine is published in 234x165mm (B4) format, with a range of 32 to 64 pages. An archive from 2017 is available online and the publisher intermittently uses Facebook and Twitter. These three platforms do not currently generate income and so there is massive scope to boost the magazine’s online presence and tap into a younger readership and enhance community engagement. The owners used to operate a similar title in Cricklade, South Cerney and the surrounding villages, so there is the possibility of resuming this publication too.
Most of the production work is conducted by the two owners, although several self-employed staff are used to assist in local reporting, advert design, proofreading, telesales, printing, distribution/delivery, and IT support.
A short transitionary period is available with this sale.
The ideal buyer for this business would be another local enterprise or family who know the magazine and its audience. It would also be highly suitable for a publisher or similar business already operating in the print industry. Likewise, it would be a lucrative acquisition for a media buyer or media agency.
The new owner will be presented with several avenues for developing the business further. Firstly, they could significantly develop their online offering and social media presence to engage with more online users. Secondly, they may wish to recruit a sales team to more efficiently gain advertising sponsors and increase income. Thirdly, they could implement an advertising campaign to increase awareness and readership of both the print and online magazine material. Fourthly, the buyer may consider increasing print volumes and distribution to also increase readership, for example by delivering Ripples Community Magazine across the Cotswold Water Park.
- Relocatable
- Rural setting