Dennis Publishing

Dennis Publishing Ltd. is an independent publisher founded in 1974.

Dennis Publishing Ltd
Limited company
IndustryMagazine and internet publishing
FoundedFelix Dennis, 1974
FounderFelix Dennis 
HeadquartersLondon, England, UK
OwnerExponent
Number of employees
370
Websitewww.dennis.co.uk

History

Foundation and early development

Felix Dennis started in the magazine business in the late 1960s as one of the editors of the counterculture magazine OZ.[1] In the mid-1970s, Dennis Publishing was born, beginning with a kung-fu magazine, Kung Fu Monthly.[2]

Dennis followed this up in the early 1980s by publishing titles in the emerging computer enthusiast sector, including Your Spectrum (later renamed Your Sinclair and sold to Future Publishing). Dennis has since maintained a foothold in the computer magazine business – until Maxim's success in the US in the late 1990s, computer magazines were the mainstay of Dennis' magazine holdings, second only to Future Publishing in the UK.

In 1987 the publisher was renamed from Sportscene Specialist Press to Dennis Publishing.

Dennis Publishing, Inc. published one of the most successful modern men's lifestyle magazines in America – Maxim (2.5 million rate base)[1] – along with Stuff (1.3 million rate base) and general interest music magazine Blender (800,000 rate base).[3] Maxim, Stuff and Blender are registered trademarks of Felix Dennis.

2000–present

On 5 February 2005, Maxim Radio was launched on Sirius Satellite Radio. On 12 November 2008, Sirius and XM merged, and five days later Sirius XM Stars Too debuted on Sirius Satellite Radio on Sirius 108 and XM 139. In May 2011, Stars Too moved to channel 104 on both services.[4]

On 15 February 2007, Dennis Publishing, Inc. announced that it had retained media investment firm Allen & Company as its exclusive financial advisor to explore various strategic alternatives available to the company including a possible sale of the company.[5][6] In June 2007, all of Dennis's United States holdings – minus the U.S. edition of The Week – were sold to the private equity firm Quadrangle Group. This included the editions of Maxim, Stuff and Blender.[7]

In January 2008, Dennis Publishing acquired the online news site The First Post for an undisclosed sum.[8] In February, Dennis Publishing announced the launch of iGizmo, a free fortnightly interactive digital magazine dedicated to gadgets and consumer technology, launching on 11 March. In November, Dennis Publishing acquired the online games and hardware enthusiast website Bit-Tech for an undisclosed sum.[9]

For 2012, Dennis Publishing, producing more than 50 magazines, increased its group pre-tax profits by 35% year-on-year from £4.1m to £5.5m. Group operating profit climbed almost 12% to £4.9m. Group turnover, excluding share of joint venture revenues, rose slightly year on year to just over £70m. Revenues including joint ventures climbed 3% to £77.7m. Operations in the UK accounted for almost 84% of total revenues.[10]

After Felix Dennis' death in 2014, Dennis Publishing was owned by the Heart of England Forest Charity,[11] a charity set up by Dennis to replant trees.[12]

In July 2017, Dennis Publishing acquired MoneyWeek, UK's best-selling financial magazine.[13]

In July 2018, Dennis Publishing was bought by Exponent, a British private equity firm.[2] The proceeds from the sale went to the Heart of England Forest charity and the speculated figure for the acquisition was £150 million.[2]

In February 2019, Dennis Publishing acquired Kiplinger, an American publisher of personal finance and business publications such as the personal finance magazine Kiplinger's Personal Finance and the weekly business and economic forecasting newsletter The Kiplinger Letter.[14] The company also owns the website Kiplinger.com. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In February 2020, Dennis Publishing announced plans to launch The Week Junior, a weekly subscription print magazine aimed at kids 8 to 14.[15]

Dennis Digital

Dennis Digital, formerly known as MaximNet, which launched in 1999, is the interactive Internet and mobile division of Dennis Publishing, which publishes Maxim, Stuff, The Week and did publish (now defunct) Blender.

Publications

Company details
  • Chief Executive: James Tye[10]
  • Group Chief Financial Officer: Brett Reynolds[17]
  • Registered Company Number: 1138891 (England)
  • Head Office: 31-32 Alfred Place, London, WC1E 7DP

References
  1. "Oz publisher Felix Dennis dies". BBC News. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  2. "Dennis Publishing Sold to Private Equity - Folio". Folio. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  3. Learmonth, Michael. "Maxim, Stuff, Blender Up For Sale". Forbes. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  4. "SIRIUS Satellite Radio to Blend Sports, Entertainment and Music for Unparalleled Super Bowl Week Experience". Sirius XM Radio. 31 January 2008. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  5. "US and international properties of Dennis up for sale". FIPP. 20 February 2007. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  6. Nat Ives (31 May 2007). "Has Kent Brownridge Finally Nabbed Dennis?". AdAge.com.
  7. Rafat Ali (15 June 2007). "Dennis Publishing Sold To Quadrangle Group; Will Hold Onto Week and Maxim UK". PaidContent.
  8. Doug Caverly (10 January 2008). "Dennis Publishing Buys The First Post". WebProNews - Business. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2008.
  9. Tim Smalley (20 October 2008). "Dennis Publishing acquires bit-tech.net". Bit-Tech.
  10. Mark Sweney (14 October 2013). "Men's Fitness publisher increases profits by 35% in 2012". The Guardian.
  11. "The Dennis Group". Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  12. "The Charity". The Heart of England Forest Charity. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  13. "Dennis Acquires UK's Leading Finance Brand MoneyWeek - Dennis Publishing". www.dennis.co.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  14. "Dennis Publishing Buys Kiplinger". Folio. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  15. "Media Maneuvers: Google Talks With Publishers About Paying for Content". O'Dwyers PR. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  16. O'Hagan, Sean (2 June 2013). "The nine lives of Felix Dennis: "I've lived an unbelievable life, even if I did do my best to kill myself"". The Observer.
  17. "Board of Directors". The Dennis Group. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
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