The deal sees Immediate acquire the remainder of the business in late 2020.
Established in 2013, River Street Events produces some of the UK’s most successful consumer events - including the live events for BBC Good Food Show and BBC Gardeners’ World Live - attracting over 250,000 visitors a year.
This deal further strengthens Immediate’s events capabilities, following the recent acquisition of Upper Street Events, providing exciting further potential growth opportunities in the live consumer events market, says the company.
River Street Events founder, Laura Biggs, will remain Group Managing Director until the end of 2020, working alongside Immediate’s Managing Director of Live Events, Paul Byrom.
Immediate Media CEO, Tom Bureau, says: “We’ve identified live consumer events as an important growth area for Immediate, focused around our high value special interest communities and aligned with our portfolio of market-leading brands. Our investment into River Street, who we know well through our partnerships with BBC Good Food Live and BBC Gardeners’ World Live, fits perfectly with this strategy, as we continue to accelerate our multiplatform transformation across print, digital, TV and, now, live events. I’m delighted that we will be working with Laura and her team to continue to build this fantastic business.”
River Street Events founder, Laura Biggs, says: “River Street have always had an excellent long-term business relationship with Immediate, it makes perfect sense that they have invested in our business to allow us to take the events to the next level and give them the growth opportunities that they deserve. I look forward to working with Paul Byrom and all the team at Immediate to amplify these already amazing well-loved events ensuring that they continue to deliver incredible days out for thousands of food and gardening lovers across the UK.”
In January 2019 Immediate acquired Upper Street Events, producers of some of the UK’s largest specialist consumer enthusiast events, including the Cycle Show, Festival of Quilts, Move It, London Art Fair and The London Cruise Show.
Immediate reaches over 26 million affluent and engaged UK consumers monthly across a range of special interest sectors, including Food, Cycling, Gardening, Parenting, Weddings and Craft, and is home to some of the UK’s best-loved brands, including Radio Times, BBC Gardeners’ World magazine, BBC Good Food, Mollie Makes and Hitched.
