Norwich, London & Ongar, UK. Chicago, Boston, New York, US. (4th Jan 2006) — Norwich publisher Schofield Publishing, sister company to the $40 million turnover Chicago-based Schofield Media Group, ended 2005 by celebrating the successful acquisition of London-based SB Communications Group (SBC), in a multi-million pound deal brokered by Prism Consult Ltd.

SBC is the UK's market leading specialist healthcare publishing and events company in the area of diabetes and its complications.

SB Communications Group produces four journals aimed at healthcare professionals (Diabetes and Primary Care, Diabetes Digest, Journal of Diabetes Nursing, and The Diabetic Foot.)

Alongside these titles, SB Communications Group also stages a number of conferences and exhibitions throughout the year in the UK and the rest of Europe. The company also organises bespoke events from round table discussions (for a small number of key opinion leaders) to large international meetings.

Robert Palmer, Managing Director of Prism Consult Limited, commented: "SB Communications is a very well respected, profitable and fast growing healthcare publishing and events business. Schofield Publishing is supporting the founders of SBC by investing in its continued rapid expansion in this multi-million pound deal."

The addition of these new journals brings the number of magazines produced by Schofield Publishing up to 11, with these new titles added to its already successful magazines: Venture, Food Chain, Manufacturing Today Europe, Construction Today Europe, European Supply Chain Management, Railway Strategies, and Modern Utility Management. In total the company now publishes 26 titles, 15 of which are US-based.

Maintaining the momentum of Schofield Publishing's dramatic expansion is the focus of Group President/Managing Director Mike Tulloch and Group Chairman and CEO Andrew Schofield.

Andrew Schofield is confident that the acquisition is another positive step for the company. He said: "When it comes to acquisitions we look for successful and well run companies such as SBC. We have already established a concrete foundation from which to expand our business, and I see SBC's combination of publishing and events experience as further strengthening our solid UK team. This is also a great opportunity for us to expand into a new area of media."

Mike Tulloch commented: "The acquisition of these four titles and the conferences business will add a new dimension to our ability to get relevant business stories and information to an ever-widening readership."

He continued: "Our continuous and lucrative growth to date has been made possible by investment in the right people and the right acquisitions, and this will be invaluable in helping us to continue our evolution and achieve our new commercial goals.

"At Schofield we believe in recruiting the most talented staff, treating them fairly and being upfront with our objectives, achievements and performance. I feel confident that I have a great team around me and this new development adds to our company’s credibility in the marketplace."

Simon Breed, publisher and founder of SB Communications, commented:

"We have spent much time and effort seeking the right partner to help take our business forward. Schofield Publishing has a similar dynamic and proactive culture to our own and its larger infrastructure and resource base will enable us not only to capitalise fully on existing areas of business but also to develop others within the healthcare sector."

Andrew Schofield concluded: "I am confident that our new acquisition will play a key part in taking Schofield Publishing into a new era of successful trading."

Founded in 1999, Schofield Media Group publishes business-to-business magazines and operates conferences & events in the US and UK. The company is headquartered in London and has regional offices in Chicago, New York, Boston, and Norwich. Divisions include Schofield Publishing UK, Schofield Media Chicago, RedCoat Publishing, and Ideal Media.
www.SchofieldMediaGroup.com