It has been a truly momentous week here at Alakat Publishing – traditionally we report the news, but this week it was our turn to make it. In case you missed yesterday’s announcement, after 14 years of publishing Toy World, we’re delighted to confirm that we have concluded a deal to sell the business to Lewis Business Media.
I appreciate that this may come as a surprise to some of you reading this, but the deal is one that we have been working on for a considerable while, with the aim of ‘future proofing’ the business so that at some stage in the future, Anita and I can gradually start to step back while ensuring Toy World is in the best possible hands.
Thanks to all of those people who got in touch with lovely messages after we broke the news yesterday – it means a lot to Anita and I. For those who missed yesterday’s announcement, I want to reassure you that it is very much ‘business as usual’ for the foreseeable future. Anita and I are going not going anywhere – you don’t get rid of us that easily! Unlike that other dynamic duo Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly (who tried to steal our thunder with their news yesterday), we’re sticking around for some time to come.
We will be working closely with new owner Simon Lewis and all of our existing team to ensure a smooth transition and make sure that Toy World remains the essential read it is now.
Toy World has been the number one toy magazine ever since we launched, and that isn’t going to change. Indeed, one of our main aims when looking for a partner to take the business forward was to find a team whose values aligned with ours, and whose approach to trade publishing would ensure that the magazine we created in 2011 will continue to go from strength to strength. We wanted to make sure that the Toy World legacy lives on well beyond our tenure, and for the team here to have security for the future.
After a long process, we are confident that we have found the perfect partner to deliver our goals.
Read the rest here.
