William Reed (publisher)
Encyclopedia
William Reed was the youngest son of a Yorkshire farmer that founded the publishing company that bears his name in 1862
.
Marrying in to the Morgan Family, founders of the Morgan Brothers publishers, Reed was told to find a more suitable job. The brothers, primarily bankers, but with other business pursuits, entered publishing in 1859, publishing The Ironmonger and Chemist & Druggist. With the growth of the trade magazine market occurring at the time, Reed was inspired to found his own publishers. With his experience in the farming trade, Reed founded The Grocer
in 1862 which is the leading market title today after 147 years.
, from his premises based in Bow Lane, London. The Grocer
was to give readers the latest news and analysis of the trade. Just a year later the Wine Trade Review launched as a supplement to The Grocer
.
By 1864, Reed targeted the brewing industry with Brewers Journal, and its supplement, Hop & Malt Trades Review and in 1868 he had added Tobacco Trade Review to his company's magazine line up. Reed died in 1920, but not without seeing The Grocer
become his most successful publication, with the Ministry of Food using it to make announcements.
, Sussex
. As well as changing location from its London
home, the company has also changed completely since it was founded, now split into four main sectors: publishing, events, directories and newsletters.
Life
Being the son of a farmer, William Reed worked as a sugar merchant in the early years of his career, which was later to be the inspiration behind his first journal, The GrocerThe Grocer
The Grocer is a British market leading magazine devoted to grocery sales, published by William Reed Business Media. It has been published since 1862. Its readership encompasses every aspect of the industry, from directors of the large multiples to independent retailers...
.
Marrying in to the Morgan Family, founders of the Morgan Brothers publishers, Reed was told to find a more suitable job. The brothers, primarily bankers, but with other business pursuits, entered publishing in 1859, publishing The Ironmonger and Chemist & Druggist. With the growth of the trade magazine market occurring at the time, Reed was inspired to found his own publishers. With his experience in the farming trade, Reed founded The Grocer
The Grocer
The Grocer is a British market leading magazine devoted to grocery sales, published by William Reed Business Media. It has been published since 1862. Its readership encompasses every aspect of the industry, from directors of the large multiples to independent retailers...
in 1862 which is the leading market title today after 147 years.
William Reed Publishing
In 1861 William Reed founded his own publishing company founding William Reed Publishing in London. With the contacts he had made working in the grocer industry and the knowledge he had gained, in 1862 launched his first journal, The GrocerThe Grocer
The Grocer is a British market leading magazine devoted to grocery sales, published by William Reed Business Media. It has been published since 1862. Its readership encompasses every aspect of the industry, from directors of the large multiples to independent retailers...
, from his premises based in Bow Lane, London. The Grocer
The Grocer
The Grocer is a British market leading magazine devoted to grocery sales, published by William Reed Business Media. It has been published since 1862. Its readership encompasses every aspect of the industry, from directors of the large multiples to independent retailers...
was to give readers the latest news and analysis of the trade. Just a year later the Wine Trade Review launched as a supplement to The Grocer
The Grocer
The Grocer is a British market leading magazine devoted to grocery sales, published by William Reed Business Media. It has been published since 1862. Its readership encompasses every aspect of the industry, from directors of the large multiples to independent retailers...
.
By 1864, Reed targeted the brewing industry with Brewers Journal, and its supplement, Hop & Malt Trades Review and in 1868 he had added Tobacco Trade Review to his company's magazine line up. Reed died in 1920, but not without seeing The Grocer
The Grocer
The Grocer is a British market leading magazine devoted to grocery sales, published by William Reed Business Media. It has been published since 1862. Its readership encompasses every aspect of the industry, from directors of the large multiples to independent retailers...
become his most successful publication, with the Ministry of Food using it to make announcements.
Company legacy
William Reed's publishing company has stayed within the family and was continued by his son after his death in 1920. It still exists today, owned by later generations of his family, albeit as a modern business under the name William Reed Business Media based in CrawleyCrawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. As well as changing location from its London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
home, the company has also changed completely since it was founded, now split into four main sectors: publishing, events, directories and newsletters.