News

Sandhills East Limited Acquires Focus Business Media Limited & Focus Publishing Limited

Sandhills East Limited has acquired Focus Business Media Limited and Focus Publishing Limited. Located in Peterborough, United Kingdom, the Focus companies were founded in 1995 by Colin Medwynter with the aim of establishing buying and selling magazines focused on the specialist automotive sector. The Focus companies have grown steadily since then, with the addition of Jason Hodge as fellow shareholder and director. Their primary products and services include Truck & Plant Locator Weekly magazine and website, Farm Machinery Locator magazine and website, Commercial Vehicle Dealer magazine and website, Vanlocator.co.uk, and a specialist commercial vehicle dealer recruitment business, Focus People Solutions.

Sandhills East, a subsidiary of Sandhills Publishing Company, was first established in the United Kingdom in 2011. Already serving the transport, agriculture, construction, heavy machinery, aviation, and technology industries, Sandhills East was eager to expand into the specialist automotive sector in hopes of building upon the success and expertise already established by the Focus companies. With the addition of the new Peterborough office, Sandhills East will now have four offices throughout Europe: Peterborough and Manchester, United Kingdom; Madrid, Spain; and Senningerberg, Luxembourg.

Sandhills Publishing Company, the parent company of Sandhills East, is based in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was founded in 1978, and its first publication, Machinery Trader, rolled of the presses in March of that year, bringing together buyers and sellers in the heavy construction equipment industry. Since then, the company has added publications reaching the trucking (Truck Paper), aviation (Controller, Executive Controller, and Charter Hub), technology (Computer Power User and CyberTrend), farm equipment (TractorHouse), auction (AuctionTime), and equipment rental (RentalYard) industries, as well as buyers and sellers in international markets (MarketBook). In addition to its Lincoln headquarters and the Sandhills East locations throughout Europe, the company has offices in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Brisbane, Australia.

The acquisition will result in four rebranded publications. Both Farm Machinery Locator Powered By TractorHouse and TractorHouse United Kingdom will feature new and used farming equipment for sale. Both Truck Locator Powered By Truck Paper and Truck Paper United Kingdom/Ireland will feature new and used trucks and trailers. These publications will have corresponding websites— www.FarmMachineryLocator.co.uk, www.TractorHouse.co.uk, www.TruckLocator.co.uk, and www.TruckPaper.co.uk—with an even greater selection of equipment, trucks, trailers, and related services and the ability to view items for sale from around the world. In addition to these rebranded products, existing customers of the Focus companies will now have access to all other products and services of the Sandhills Group Companies. These include the highly successful Machinery Trader magazine in the UK and Europe and www.machinerytrader.co.uk website focusing on the construction.

Look for the publications at newsagents from November 5th.