Metropolis International

Metropolis International is a predominantly United Kingdom-based media and technology group established in 1994. It operates across business-to-business publishing, consumer magazines, travel information, websites, events, business software, and reward and benefit services. Rather than being identified with one flagship consumer title, the company has developed as a portfolio owner and operator of specialist media brands serving professional communities and enthusiast audiences. Its business publishing activities cover a broad range of sectors. The portfolio has included architecture, construction, engineering, local government, healthcare, fashion retail, automotive, packaging, property, finance, aviation and professional audio-visual technology. Titles such as Architects' Journal, The Architectural Review, Construction News, Drapers, Ground Engineering, Local Government Chronicle, New Civil Engineer, Nursing Times and Property Week combine print publications with websites, directories, newsletters, events and other commercial products. In June 2017, Metropolis acquired a substantial collection of specialist titles from Ascential, placing the acquired publications within Emap Publishing Ltd. That transaction significantly expanded the company's professional-media footprint. The group also operates Diamond Publishing, its consumer publishing arm. Diamond's brands include Record Collector, Best of British, Cyclist, Fortean Times and Viz. These publications address music collecting, nostalgia, cycling, unexplained phenomena and comic entertainment. Record Collector is supported by the Rare Record Price Guide, which is offered in print and through an online subscription format, illustrating the group's combination of editorial content and paid reference products. Travel publishing has been part of Metropolis's activities since its early years. The company developed For Less Compact Guides for cities and destinations including London, Amsterdam, Madrid and locations in Thailand. These guides combine practical travel information with street indexes and public-transport maps, and have also been adapted for online and mobile distribution. Metropolis has supplemented publishing with technology-enabled consumer offers. Smartsave.com, launched in 2009, is a discount and rewards service focused particularly on family days out, restaurants, hotels, theatres, attractions, experiences and shopping. The service has used electronic terminals and multiple distribution channels, including guidebooks, maps, directories and mobile applications. Its stated discount coverage has extended across the United Kingdom, United States, France, Germany and the Netherlands, with participating attractions including museums, wildlife venues and other visitor destinations. The group's operations have been described as employing approximately 300 people, with offices or operations associated with West London, Croydon, Bolton, Chester, Dublin, Acton and New York City. Its headquarters are in Acton and West London. Metropolis's business model is therefore diversified: it monetizes specialist audiences through subscriptions, advertising, sponsorship, events, directories, digital products, books, software and consumer savings programs. Publicly available reference material does not establish a current chief executive, ownership structure, revenue figure, or public listing, so those details remain unspecified here.

Metropolis International was established in 1994 as a British media company and developed from publishing into a broader media and technology group. Its activities have combined specialist editorial brands with products such as directories, maps, websites, events, software and consumer savings services. This portfolio approach has allowed the company to serve narrowly defined professional and enthusiast audiences rather than relying on one general-interest publication. Travel information was an early component of the business. Metropolis produced For Less Compact Guides for numerous cities and destinations, combining practical destination information with street indexes and underground or metro maps. The guides were distributed in printed form and later supported by online and mobile formats. This activity connected traditional publishing with location-based information and digital distribution. The company expanded its professional publishing base through acquisitions. In 2013 it acquired Property Week from UBM, strengthening its position in commercial-property media. A more substantial expansion took place in June 2017, when Metropolis purchased a collection of business publications from Ascential. The titles included Architects' Journal, The Architectural Review, Construction News, Drapers, Ground Engineering, Local Government Chronicle, New Civil Engineer and Nursing Times, among others. Metropolis organized the acquired portfolio under Emap Publishing Ltd. The transaction brought together established brands with long histories in architecture, construction, fashion retail, civil engineering, public administration and healthcare. Several of the professional titles have histories that predate Metropolis by many decades. The Architectural Review and Architects' Journal trace their origins to the late nineteenth century; Local Government Chronicle began in the nineteenth century; Drapers developed from a nineteenth-century retail trade publication; and Construction News, Mortgage Finance Gazette, Motor Trader and other titles also originated long before the group acquired them. Metropolis's role has consequently often been that of portfolio owner and publisher steward, extending established brands through websites, subscriptions, directories, supplements, awards and events. The group also developed a consumer publishing division under Diamond Publishing Ltd. Its portfolio has included Record Collector, Best of British, Cyclist, Fortean Times and Viz. Record Collector focuses on recorded-music collecting and is complemented by the Rare Record Price Guide, a specialist valuation and reference product available in book and online-subscription forms. The consumer portfolio demonstrates the company's interest in durable enthusiast communities, where editorial authority, archives and specialist data can support several forms of monetization. In 2009, Metropolis launched Smartsave.com, a discount and benefits platform. The service promoted savings on attractions, restaurants, hotels, theatres, experiences and shopping, and used electronic terminals together with distribution through the group's publishing and travel products. Its stated geographic reach included the United Kingdom, United States, France, Germany and the Netherlands. Smartsave represented a move beyond publishing into consumer transactions and digital or technology-supported loyalty services. Reference material describes Metropolis as employing approximately 300 people and maintaining offices or operations in West London, Croydon, Bolton, Chester, Dublin, Acton and New York City. Its headquarters are identified with Acton and West London. The available sources do not provide sufficient information to identify current executives, detailed ownership, financial performance, or a precise present-day brand-by-brand operating structure. The company is treated here as active, but those unresolved corporate details warrant further verification.

• 2017

  Acquisition of Ascential specialist media titles

  [1]Metropolis Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  Metropolis acquires a substantial group of business publications from Ascential and places them within Emap Publishing Ltd.

• 2013

  Property Week joins the portfolio

  [1]Metropolis Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  Metropolis acquires Property Week from UBM.

• 2009

  Smartsave launches

  [1]Metropolis Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  The group launches Smartsave.com, a consumer discount and benefits service distributed through digital and publishing-related channels.

• 1994

  Metropolis International is established

  [1]Metropolis Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  Metropolis International begins operations as a British media business.

A diversified specialist-media and technology group that builds valuable professional and enthusiast audiences through sector publications, digital products, events, reference services and consumer benefit programs.

• Business publishing group

  Emap Publishing

  A Metropolis publishing subsidiary associated with the acquired professional-media portfolio. Its brands cover architecture, construction, engineering, fashion retail, local government, healthcare, property, finance, automotive, packaging and related business sectors. The portfolio uses magazines, websites, newsletters, directories, supplements and events to reach professional audiences.

• Architecture publishing · 1896

  Architects' Journal and The Architectural Review

  Two established architecture publications serving architectural professionals and the wider built-environment community. Architects' Journal is a weekly title, while The Architectural Review is a monthly international publication. Metropolis acquired both from Ascential in 2017.

• Construction and engineering publishing

  Construction and engineering portfolio

  This group includes Construction News, Ground Engineering, New Civil Engineer, Building Products, The Landscaper and National Plant Hire Guide. The publications provide news, analysis, product information, technical coverage and directories for construction, civil engineering, geotechnical work, landscaping and plant hire professionals.

• Fashion retail publishing · 1887

  Drapers

  A professional fashion-retail media brand, formerly associated with the title Drapers Record. It covers retail businesses, brands, market developments and commercial issues affecting the fashion sector. Metropolis acquired the title from Ascential in 2017.

• Music collecting magazine

  Record Collector

  A monthly consumer magazine focused on recorded-music collecting. The brand is supported by the Rare Record Price Guide, a specialist reference work distributed in book form and through an online subscription, extending the magazine's editorial expertise into paid data and valuation products.

• Consumer publishing

  Diamond Publishing consumer portfolio

  Diamond Publishing produces consumer titles including Best of British, Cyclist, Fortean Times and Viz. The portfolio spans nostalgia, cycling, anomalous phenomena and comic entertainment, complementing Metropolis's professional publications with enthusiast and entertainment audiences.

• Travel publishing · 1994

  For Less Compact Guides

  A travel-guide and mapping line covering more than 35 cities and destinations according to reference material. The guides combine practical travel content, complete street indexes and underground or metro maps, with related information also made available through online and mobile products.

• Discount and rewards service · 2009

  Smartsave

  A consumer savings platform launched in 2009. Smartsave offers discounts on family attractions, restaurants, hotels, theatres, experiences and shopping. It has used electronic terminals and distribution through guidebooks, maps, directories, websites and mobile applications, with stated activity in several European markets and the United States.

• 2017

  Acquisition of Ascential's specialist publishing portfolioM&A

  Background

  Ascential owned a broad collection of established business publications covering the built environment, fashion retail, engineering, local government and healthcare.

  Action taken

  Metropolis acquired the titles in June 2017 and organized them under Emap Publishing Ltd.

  Aftermath

  The deal materially broadened the group's professional-media portfolio and increased its concentration in specialist business publishing.

  Source

• 2013

  Acquisition of Property WeekM&A

  Background

  Property Week was a well-established publication serving the commercial-property sector and had previously been owned by UBM.

  Action taken

  Metropolis acquired the title from UBM and added it to its professional publishing portfolio.

  Aftermath

  The transaction expanded Metropolis's presence in property and real-estate media.

  Source

• 2009

  Launch of SmartsaveStrategy

  Background

  Metropolis sought to extend its publishing and information activities into consumer benefits and transaction-supported digital services.

  Action taken

  The group launched Smartsave.com, offering discounts through websites, electronic terminals, guidebooks, maps, directories and mobile applications.

  Aftermath

  Smartsave became a cross-market consumer savings offering covering attractions, hospitality, entertainment and shopping.

  Source

• 2017

  Metropolis acquires a portfolio of specialist titles from Ascential[1]Metropolis Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Metropolis acquired a broad group of business publications from Ascential, including architecture, construction, fashion, engineering, local-government and healthcare titles. The acquired brands were placed into Emap Publishing Ltd.

• 2013

  Metropolis acquires Property Week[1]Metropolis Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Metropolis International acquired Property Week from UBM, adding a major commercial-property publication to its professional publishing portfolio.

1. 1Metropolis Internationalen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Metropolis International official websitemetropolis.co.uk