Friday Media Group

What Friday Media Group does

Friday Media Group (FMG) is a privately held, family-owned UK digital media company founded in 1975 by Chris and Liz Kidger, now led by their children Sam Kidger (CEO) and Joel Kidger (Managing Director). Headquartered in Brighton with 7 offices across the UK (Brighton, Preston, Pembroke, Haywards Heath, Scaynes Hill, Stone Cross), USA (Miami), Spain (Barcelona), India (Bangalore), and Pakistan (Lahore), FMG operates approximately 30 companies across four divisions: Marketplaces, Recruitment, Web Services, and Retail. Its portfolio spans over 70 internet properties and serves more than 10 million active monthly users.

The company's core technology consists of niche digital marketplace platforms (Friday-Ad, Horsemart, Horseclicks, BoatsandOutboards, Gunstar, Caravansforsale, Wightbay), niche job boards (Aviation Job Search, InAutomotive, Simply Law Jobs, Simply Sales Jobs, Simply Marketing Jobs, Simply HR Jobs, Simply Engineering Jobs, Careers in Recruitment), and B2B dealer website/dealer management platforms (Spidersnet, Autopromotor with Pro and Books modules, Marine/Equine/Gun Promoter). Technology development is distributed across in-house engineering teams in Bangalore (Friday Media Tech India), Lahore, and the UK. The company operates its own consumer apps (Friday-Ad mobile app), virtual event platforms for recruitment, and an in-development Courses platform, alongside a physical retail presence through two UpCountry Garden Centres with Bakehouse Kitchen cafes.

FMG's revenue model is multi-streamed: transaction and listing fees on classified marketplaces, employer subscriptions and advertising on niche job boards (plus event revenue from live and virtual job fairs), recurring subscriptions for dealer websites and dealer management software, and physical/online retail sales of gardening, pet, and countryside products plus cafe revenue. The company ceased in-house printing in October 2019 after 44 years (over 1 billion copies printed), outsourcing print to Newsquest and pivoting to a digital-first operating model. GTM motions are product-led growth via owned digital platforms, SEO/content marketing, and community engagement, complemented by inside sales for B2B dealer software and direct enterprise sales for recruitment events.

Name

Friday Media Group

Legal name

Friday Media Group

Website

https://fridaymediagroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Friday Media Group is a privately held UK digital media company operating 30 businesses across Marketplaces, Recruitment, Web Services, and Retail divisions, connecting buyers, sellers, employers, jobseekers, dealers, and countryside consumers through niche classifieds, job boards, dealer management software, and garden centres.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Marketplaces & Classifieds

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Stock Media, Asset Marketplaces & Licensing Platforms (BPAMAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Retail Media & Marketplace Advertising (Amazon/Walmart/Instacart, etc.) (BPAFACAD)

Keywords

• Online classifieds marketplaces
• Niche job boards
• Dealer management software
• Classified advertising platforms
• Digital marketplace network

Headquarters

HQ city

Brighton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Marketplaces - Classified Advertising: FMG operates classified advertising marketplaces (Friday-Ad, Wightbay, BoatsandOutboards, Gunstar, Horsemart, Horseclicks, Caravansforsale) connecting buyers and sellers. Revenue likely derives from listing fees and advertising on these platforms.
2. Recruitment - Job Board Subscriptions & Advertising: Niche job boards (Aviation Job Search, InAutomotive, Simply Law Jobs, Simply Sales Jobs, Simply Marketing Jobs, Simply HR Jobs, Simply Engineering Jobs, Careers in Recruitment) generate revenue from employer job postings and recruiter subscriptions. Additional revenue from virtual and in-person recruitment events.
3. Web Services - Dealer Website Subscriptions & Software: Spidersnet builds websites for automotive dealers; Promoter serves marine, equine, and firearms dealers; Autopromotor provides dealer management software. Revenue from website subscriptions, software licenses, and dealer management system fees.
4. Retail - Garden Centre & Cafe Sales: UpCountry Garden Centre operates physical retail stores in Scaynes Hill and Stone Cross, UK, with an online store. Revenue from sales of gardening products, plants, pet supplies, farm produce, and food from the Bakehouse Kitchen cafe.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Friday Media Group operates 30 niche digital platforms across four divisions: Marketplaces (classified advertising sites like Friday-Ad, Horsemart, Horseclicks connecting buyers and sellers), Recruitment (sector-specific job boards like Aviation Job Search, Simply Law Jobs), Web Services (dealer websites and management systems like Spidersnet, Autopromotor, Promoter DMS), and Retail (UpCountry Garden Centre and Bakehouse Kitchen cafes). The company also produces proprietary technology through in-house development teams in the UK, India, and Pakistan.

Product overview

Friday Media Group is a diversified digital media company operating across four divisions: Marketplaces, Recruitment, Web Services, and Retail. The company runs 30 different companies with over 40 years of experience. Marketplaces include Friday-Ad (flagship classifieds), Wightbay, BoatsandOutboards, Gunstar, Horsemart, Horseclicks, and Caravans for Sale. Recruitment operates niche job boards including Aviation Job Search, InAutomotive, Simply Law Jobs, Simply Sales Jobs, Simply Marketing Jobs, Simply HR Jobs, Simply Engineering Jobs, and Careers in Recruitment, plus Virtual Events and Courses platform services. Web Services provides Spidersnet (automotive websites/DMS), Promoter DMS (multi-niche), Autopromotor (dealer stock management with Pro and Books modules), Marine Promoter, Equine Promoter, and Gun Promoter. Retail includes UpCountry Garden Centre and Bakehouse Kitchen. The FMG Project is a community fitness initiative. The portfolio connects buyers and sellers, recruiters and job seekers, and dealers with customers across niche markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Friday-Ad: General classified marketplace platform serving local communities with online buying and selling, including mobile app with Small Business Finder feature.
• Wightbay
• BoatsandOutboards
• Gunstar
• Horsemart
• Horseclicks
• Caravansforsale
• Aviation Job Search
• InAutomotive
• Simply Law Jobs
• Simply Sales Jobs
• Simply Marketing Jobs
• Simply HR Jobs
• Simply Engineering Jobs
• Careers in Recruitment
• Spidersnet
• Autopromotor
• Marine Promoter
• GunPromoter
• Equine Promoter
• Promoter (DMS)
• UpCountry Garden Centre
• Bakehouse Kitchen
• Equine Superstore
• FMG Project
• FMG Foundation

Products and services

• Friday-Ad Flagship general classified advertising marketplace connecting local buyers and sellers; includes a mobile app with Small Business Finder feature for discovering local businesses.
• Horsemart

Quantifiable outcome

• Horseclicks organic search traffic reached 40,000 sessions/month with 23,000 additional users YoY per month (+25% growth on horse search results, +20% on trailer searches).
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Ohio Quarter Horse AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHorseClicks worked with the Ohio Quarter Horse Association as content partners to promote and support the All American Quarter Horse Congress, the world's largest single-breed horse show held over 4 weeks in Columbus, Ohio, with over 25,000 entries. Drew Macke, HorseClicks VP, attended the Congress to meet horse breeders, exhibitors, and associations, and to discuss new business and partnership opportunities to grow HorseClicks across the United States.
• Now! Charity Group (Furniture Now!)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerFriday-Ad partnered with Furniture Now! (part of the Now! Charity Group) to reduce household waste and poverty across Sussex by encouraging reuse and recycling of furniture. A dedicated online shop was created on friday-ad.co.uk for Furniture Now!'s stores in Eastbourne, Hailsham, and Lewes. Friday-Ad's community of users is encouraged to donate unwanted furniture using Furniture Now!'s free collection service. The promotional support package from Friday-Ad was worth over £10k. Rob Hancock, heading FMG's charitable arm (FMG Foundation), initiated the partnership.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Adevinta: Adevinta operates a global portfolio of online classifieds marketplaces (Gumtree, Auto Trader, Leboncoin, Marktplaats). Comparable to FMG's marketplace division with similar business model of connecting buyers and sellers through classified advertising, though at much larger scale and broader geographic coverage.
• Cox Automotive: Global provider of automotive dealer software, marketing, and inventory management solutions. Comparable to FMG's Spidersnet and Autopromotor dealer management systems, though Cox operates at vastly greater scale across automotive remarketing, dealer software, and digital marketing.
• Indeed: Global leader in online recruitment and job search. Comparable to FMG's Simply group of niche job boards, though Indeed operates as a horizontal aggregator while FMG pursues a vertical specialization strategy in aviation, law, sales, marketing, HR, and engineering.
• OLX Group: Global operator of classifieds platforms across emerging markets (India, Brazil, Poland, South Africa). Conceptually comparable to FMG's marketplace model and relevant given FMG's international office in India and Pakistan, though OLX focuses on consumer goods rather than FMG's vertical niches.
• Totaljobs Group: UK-based online recruitment and job board group operating multiple niche and generalist job platforms. Comparable to FMG's Recruitment division which operates multiple vertical job boards, with Totaljobs representing the broader-market competitor for employer recruitment spend.

Direct peers

• Auto Trader Group: UK's leading automotive marketplace connecting dealers with buyers. Directly comparable to FMG's automotive-focused assets (Spidersnet, Autopromotor, InAutomotive) and represents the larger-scale benchmark for what FMG's automotive vertical could become with continued dealer software and marketplace integration.
• Reed Online: UK-based job board and recruitment platform with broad professional coverage. Comparable to FMG's Recruitment division which runs niche job boards (Aviation Job Search, Simply Law Jobs, etc.), though Reed operates at broader scale and competes for similar employer recruitment budgets.
• Gumtree: UK generalist classifieds platform owned by Adevinta. Closest direct competitor to FMG's Friday-Ad marketplace in the UK generalist classifieds segment, competing for the same buyers and sellers of used goods locally.
• Pre-Loved: UK-based generalist classifieds and second-hand goods marketplace. Comparable to FMG's Friday-Ad platform as a UK free classifieds competitor serving similar buyer and seller segments, though Pre-Loved is privately held and smaller in scale.

Emerging players

• Notonthehighstreet: UK online marketplace for small independent businesses and craft products. Conceptually adjacent to FMG's Friday-Ad Small Business Finder feature which surfaces local independent businesses to consumers, representing a similar model of supporting SMB discovery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fridaymediagrp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friday-media-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries26 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Friday Media Group