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Our history

We've come a long way since 1887

Since then, we've become a company that offers specialist information, analytics and ecommerce optimisation platforms to the world’s leading consumer brands and their ecosystems, helping them to act today and win tomorrow.

Find out more about our history below.

2023

  • Results of strategic review
2022

  • Acquisition of Sellics - integrated into Perpetua
  • Acquisition of Intrepid
  • Conducted strategic review
2021

  • Sale of MediaLink
  • Acquisition of WhyteSpyder
  • Acquisition of 4K Miles
  • Acquisition of OneSpace
  • Acquisition of Perpetua
  • Sale of Groundsure and DeHavilland, the last of our BEP brands
2020

  • Acquisition of Yimian Data
  • Acquisition of Indigitous
  • Acquisition of Mining Searches UK
  • Sale of Glenigan
  • Acquisition of X Target
  • Acquisition of Intellibrand 
2019

  • Anna Reeves joins as Chief Marketing Officer
2018

  • Launch of Edge by Ascential
  • Acquisition of Brand View
  • Acquisition of WARC
  • Sale of Exhibitions business
  • Acquisition of Flywheel Digital
2017

  • Sale of RWM
  • Acquisition of Clavis Insight
  • Sale of MEED
  • Launch of Ascential Intelligence Ventures
  • Sale of 11 heritage brands to Metropolis
  • Acquisition of MediaLink
  • Sale of HSJ to Wilmington
  • 13 heritage magazine brands separated and held for sale
2016

  • Launch of Money 20/20 Europe
  • Acquisition of One Click Retail
  • Creation of Ascential Events
  • Money20/20 Europe delivers successful first European edition
  • WGSN unites all its services onto one platform and upgrades retail analytics service, WGSN INstock
  • Ascential plc lists on the London Stock Exchange
2015

  • Top Right Group rebrands to Ascential focused on two segments: exhibitions and festivals and information services
  • Launch of Retail Week Prospect, a data intelligence tool for the retail technology sector
  • Acquisition of Retail Net Group and integration with PlanetRetail, achieving greater coverage in North America
  • Launch of CWIEME Istanbul
  • New WGSN JV with China Textile Information Center to better serve and increase the number of WGSN customers in this pivotal market
  • Launch of Nursing Times Learning digital product
  • Launch of Lions Innovation – a new festival exploring data and technology as catalysts of creativity
  • Announcement of the forthcoming 2016 launches of Lions Entertainment and Money 20/20 Europe
2014

  • Group revenues surpass £300m for the first time in our history. FY14 Group revenues were £312.7m and adjusted EBITDA was £85.3m, up from £271.4m and £69m respectively in FY13
  • Acquisition of Money20/20, the leading event in payments and financial services innovation
  • Launch of HSJ Intelligence – a data intelligence tool for the healthcare sector
  • Launch of CWIEME China
  • Launch of Lions Health – a new festival serving the healthcare communications industry
2013

  • Acquisition of Stylesight and launch of new WGSN.com – combining the best of WGSN and Stylesight
  • Acquisition of Educar
  • Launch of Bett LatAm
  • Acquisition of Mindset and opening of Brazil office
  • Launch of WGSN INstock
  • Mandy Gradden joins as CFO
2012

  • Rebrands as Top Right Group in 2012 to reflect the structural changes and the organisation’s long-term growth and high performance aspirations
  • Reorganised into agile operating companies, each positioned for sustainable top-line growth, with new leadership and separate business strategies
  • Sale of CAP Motor Research
  • Acquisition of CWIEME (Coil Winding Exhibitions)
  • £37m transformation programme with investment in strong product and content creation, technology overhaul and introduction of new systems, including world-class sales and marketing platforms
2011

  • Duncan Painter joins as the new CEO from BSkyB plc
2008

  • On 29 January, EMAP plc completes the sale of its radio, television and consumer media businesses to German company Bauer
  • In March, funds advised by Apax Partners and Guardian Media Group acquire EMAP plc's B2B business and take the business into private ownership
2007

  • EMAP Australia sold to ACP Magazines
  • Strategic review announced after receiving a number of unsolicited proposals to purchase parts of the company
  • Groundsure purchased
  • PlanetRetail purchased
2006

  • EMAP sells its French division to Italy's Arnoldo Mondadori Editore
2005

  • WGSN is purchased
  • Scottish Radio Holdings is acquired
2004

  • Cannes Lions, launched in 1954, purchased
2001

  • Petersen Publishing sold
1998

  • Petersen Publishing purchased in the US
1996

  • EMAP plc agrees to sell its 65 newspaper titles, including the 300-year-old Stamford Mercury, to Johnston Press for £111 million
  • Glenigan, provider of leads and information for the construction industry, purchased
1947

  • Under the direction of 'Pat' Winfrey, the family's newspaper titles were consolidated to form the East Midland Allied Press (EMAP)
1887

  • Sir Richard Winfrey (1858-1944) purchases the Spalding Guardian and later purchases the Lynn News and the Peterborough Advertiser; he also starts the North Cambs Echo. During World War II Winfrey's newspaper interests begin to be passed over to his son, Richard Pattinson (‘Pat’) Winfrey (1902–1985).