The new venture, which is yet to be named, will be officially launched within the next month and will focus on four key areas: print procurement, publishing, new technology and service. It will initially target small magazine publishers as that seemed like the right area to get started with, said Wilson.

Smaller magazine publishers may not have had access to the kind of things Ive had during my career, said Wilson, who added that he hoped to capitalise on the contacts he made while serving on the PPAs Production and Technology Committee.

He reckoned that now would be a good time to set up such a consultancy as publishers look to offset falling revenues with savings in production costs.

Wilson left the former AIM Publications at the end of last month after almost 21 years service. He described his departure as an inevitable thing following AIMs acquisition by NatMags in December, 2000. Im hugely disappointed about it but Im not bitter. Essentially thats business, he said.

He claimed he decided to set up his own business as most of the jobs I would have wanted have already been taken by my friends or people I know. After all how many jobs are there out there for someone like me? Not many. Someone suggested I pick the one I want and carry out a Sicilian job but I thought that was a bit rash, not to mention illegal, he joked.

The production of the Specialist Media titles, including You and Your Wedding, Cosmopolitan Bride and Wedding Organiser, will now come under the remit of NatMags group manufacturing director Alice Symonds.

Story by Lauretta Roberts