Exchange & Mart and
Auto Exchange generated £35.8 million in revenue for UBM in 2004, with online page impressions on the
Exchange & Mart website averaging well over 5 million per month. Meanwhile,
Auto Exchange held a 70% share in the free pick-up magazine market and achieved a 7% growth in ad sales compared to 2003.
Under a recent review by UBM, responsibility for United Advertising Publications (UAP) was passed to Bernard Gray, the chief executive officer of UMB’s media division, CMP Information.
Commenting on the impending sale, Gray said: “Exchange & Mart is a particularly strong brand, but one that we believe other organisations are better placed to develop, particularly around the automotive classified sector.”
Gray revealed that UBM had already been approached by a number of interested parties, indicating an encouraging level of interest in the titles, with the disposal conducted by Merrill Lynch.
UBM recently completed the sale of its market research business, NOP World, to German company GfK Aktiengesellschaft for £383 million in cash (see UBM Completes Sale Of NOP World).
The publishing and media group enjoyed a strong 2004, reporting an increase in profit of 36.9% up to £141.4 million (see UBM Reveals Strong Profits For 2004).
The group saw growth across all sections last year, with turnover up 8.4% to £809.6 million, while operating profit rose by 33.1% to £132.3 million.
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