According to accounts audited between 2010 and 2013 Imagine demonstrated a profit growth of 43.2%. This remarkable performance was achieved against the background of a tough publishing market, and was driven by Imagine’s clear focus on overseas growth and successful print and digital launches, including knowledge magazines How It Works and All About History, says the company.
Imagine was formed by members of the current management team in 2005 and is now a worldwide content producer with key brands in print, online and on digital formats.
According to the company, Imagine has a successful portfolio of magazines, bookazines, digital editions, websites, apps and eBooks focusing on four key technology market sectors (technology; knowledge & science; photography; and videogames). An Imagine magazine is purchased every ten seconds and the company has a monthly reach of 5.7 million readers. Imagine has a long track record of organic growth, delivering revenues of £18.5m, and industry leading EBITDA margin of 30.3% in FY13, achieved due to its multiple profit streams, alongside strong operational efficiency and tight cost control.
Damian Butt, Group Managing Director, commented: “To appear on this well-respected list for a second year is another ringing endorsement of Imagine’s success and ability to monetise its content worldwide and deliver class-leading margins whilst maintaining a high quality portfolio of print and digital products. I would like to thank our 150 dedicated employees who strive every day to create the best content possible.”
Paul Eagland, partner and head of professional services at BDO, the title sponsor of the league table, commented: “Britain endured the longest recession within the G7, yet entrepreneurial businesses in the region and across the UK are bouncing back more strongly than their international counterparts. The nation’s most profitable companies have remained focused, positioning their businesses for – and helping to create – the economic recovery we are now witnessing.”
Imagine has recently appointed James Hanbury and Tom Frame as Independent Non-Executive Directors. Both have significant digital publishing, content creation and distribution expertise, to complement the existing Board under the chairmanship of Edmund Truell, and drive continued growth.
James Hanbury is a Co-Founder of Incisive Media and until recently its Group Managing Director, with 30 years’ experience of working within the UK publishing sector. James has chaired the PPA Business Media Council and sat on the Executive Committee of the Professional Publishers Association. Tom Frame is Founder and Managing Director of Etch UK, the digital agency ranked in the top 50 by Wirehive.
