The sale, first reported in media industry blog Flashes & Flames, will result in 30 of Aceville’s 150 jobs being saved, after the publisher was initially slated for total redundancy in DC Thomson’s drastic restructuring programme.
Aceville, which will continue with at least 12 print and online brands out of its 34 magazines and 35 websites, was understood to have been a loss-making venture for DC Thomson from its acquisition in 2018.
DC Thomson’s wider restructuring, which commenced in February 2023 with major changes to its newspaper editorial operations, had initially slated 300 of 1,600 staff for redundancy, with 150 accounted for by the Essex-based Aceville operation.
Printweek understands that most of the Aceville titles are printed at William Gibbons.
A spokesperson for DC Thomson said: “We are pleased to announce that we have accepted an offer from Enthuse Group to purchase the titles previously published by Aceville.
“Colleagues will transfer to Enthuse with immediate effect, and we will be working with the purchasing company over the coming months to ensure the process runs as smoothly as possible.”
Purchaser Enthuse Group, which specialises in trade and hobby magazines, styles itself as “acquisitive” and claims a “strong track record of acquiring from larger operators,” such as its purchase of AA Media from vehicle insurance company The AA.
Enthuse’s founder, Owen Davies, told Flashes & Flames: “I have been working with DC Thomson night and day to try and find a way of saving at least some of the Aceville business.
“I realise that the expectation of saving only around 30 jobs is a small consolation to all the people affected by the closure and I will continue to discuss all options in consultation with employees.”
Enthuse turned over £15.2m in 2021 with an operating profit of £2.1m, employing around 80 people across its UK and US brands, the latter representing about a quarter of the company’s revenue.
Flagship continuing DC Thomson titles include newspapers The Courier, Aberdeen Press & Journal, and The Sunday Post; while its core magazine portfolio includes The People’s Friend, Beano, My Weekly, Stylist and the Puzzler Media range of puzzling magazines.
The flagship magazines are printed by Prinovis, Walstead Group and PCP.
