Alain Charles Publishing

What Alain Charles Publishing does

Alain Charles Publishing Ltd. is a privately held UK B2B trade media company founded in 1964 and headquartered in London, with a multi-decade track record of operating regional business magazines in developing and emerging markets. Its portfolio spans ten branded titles covering oil & gas, agriculture, ICT, travel, construction, manufacturing and logistics, power and water, textiles, and health/safety/security across Africa, the Middle East, Far East Asia, and Europe, reaching an aggregate readership of roughly 500,000 across four continents. Several titles (notably Oil Review Middle East, Communications Africa, and Technical Review Middle East) are produced bilingually in English plus Arabic or French, and distribution combines ABC-audited controlled print circulation with digital editions, e-newsletters, webcasts, online brochures, and onsite distribution at major industry exhibitions such as ADIPEC, Intersec, and A+A.

The company monetizes primarily through print and digital advertising sold to advertisers seeking reach among C-level executives, technical managers, government ministers, and procurement decision-makers in target verticals, with quote-based, multi-year customized advertising packages rather than published rate cards. A secondary revenue stream is the Alain Charles Managed Events division, which provides conference, forum, exhibition, and product-launch services across sectors including a health-and-safety forum in Dubai. Operational infrastructure includes a London headquarters, a Dubai Media City regional office (Alain Charles Middle East FZ-LLC), and partnership offices in Bangalore, China, and the Americas, supporting regional sales and event execution. The underlying technology stack is conventional B2B publishing—editorial content production, magazine websites, e-newsletters, RSS syndication, and LinkedIn/Facebook social channels—with no disclosed proprietary platform, API, or AI tooling.

The business is bootstrapped and founder/family-owned, with no public listing, no disclosed funding rounds, and no institutional investor involvement in the available materials. Ownership commentary, the absence of M&A or leadership-change records, and the firm's stable 101–250 person headcount are consistent with an independent, mature trade-publisher profile rather than a venture- or PE-backed media business.

Name

Alain Charles Publishing

Legal name

Alain Charles Publishing Ltd.

Website

https://alaincharles.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Alain Charles Publishing is a UK-based, privately held B2B trade media company operating ten regional business magazines and a managed events division across oil & gas, agriculture, ICT, travel, construction, power, textiles, and HSE sectors in Africa, the Middle East, Far East Asia, and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

Keywords

• Trade magazine publishing
• B2B advertising media
• Controlled circulation magazines
• Event management services
• Regional business publications

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Print Advertising: Print advertising space sold in magazines targeting key decision makers across multiple industries and regions
2. Digital Advertising: Web advertising, e-newsletters, email campaigns, and online digital brochures
3. Event Management Services: Alain Charles Managed Events division provides event management services including conferences, forums, product launches, and exhibitions for clients across various sectors
4. Webcasts and Content Distribution: Publishing white papers, case studies, press releases and online content distribution services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Alain Charles Publishing operates a portfolio of B2B trade magazines and a managed events division that connect buyers with sellers across developing markets in Africa, the Middle East, Far East Asia, and Europe. The company sells print and digital advertising space, sponsorships, and content distribution in industry-specific publications covering oil and gas, agriculture, ICT, travel, construction, manufacturing, and health and safety. It also provides event management services for conferences, exhibitions, forums, and product launches through its Alain Charles Managed Events division.

Product overview

Alain Charles Publishing is a portfolio publishing company offering a suite of industry-specific magazine publications across multiple regions including Africa, Middle East, Far East Asia, and Europe. The company operates ten branded magazine titles covering sectors such as oil and gas, agriculture, communications/ICT, travel, construction, manufacturing, and health and safety. Publications include African Farming, African Review, Communications Africa, Far Eastern Agriculture, Health Safety and Security Review Middle East, Oil Review Africa, Oil Review Middle East, Technical Review Middle East, Travel Bulletin, and Africa and Middle East Textiles. The portfolio also includes a dedicated event management division (Alain Charles Managed Events) that provides event planning, marketing, and logistics services. All publications serve as business-to-business advertising and content platforms connecting buyers with sellers in developing markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• African Farming and Food Processing Africa-focused agricultural and food processing magazine serving English-speaking Africa, established in 1980, distributed to agribusiness decision makers across the continent.
• African Review of Business and Technology Africa's premier English-language business magazine published 11 times a year, covering IT, oil and gas, and construction sectors for business and government decision makers across Africa.
• Communications Africa/Afrique Premier ICT and broadcast magazine for Africa published bimonthly in English and French, targeting telecommunications operators, regulators, and technology buyers.
• Far Eastern Agriculture Asia-Pacific's leading agricultural magazine serving the region for over 30 years with a readership of more than 110,000 per issue.
• Health, Safety and Security Review Middle East Regional resource for health, safety, security and fire protection industries in the Middle East, published six times a year with circulation of 8,000 plus bonus copies distributed at conferences.
• Oil Review Africa Oil and gas magazine covering E&P, upstream and downstream across the African continent, published six times a year with 9,000+ print circulation and 10,500 digital edition subscribers.
• Oil Review Middle East Leading English- and Arabic-language oil and gas magazine for the Middle East region, published eight times a year since 1997.
• Technical Review Middle East Business and industrial magazine published eight times a year in English and Arabic covering power, logistics and broader industry sectors in the Middle East, influencing 13,060 CEOs and decision makers.
• Travel Bulletin Leading weekly magazine for UK travel agents covering news from all sectors of the travel industry, including members of ABTA, Global Travel Group and Travel Trust Association.
• Africa and Middle East Textiles Magazine covering textile and apparel industries across Africa and the Middle East, established in 1979.
• Alain Charles Managed Events Specialized event management division providing services for conferences, forums, exhibitions, product launches, and corporate events across various sectors, including the MENA HSE Forum.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reach of 500,000 readers across four continents
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ITP Media Group: Dubai-headquartered B2B and consumer media group publishing dozens of trade and consumer titles across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Operates a similar multi-title, regional B2B portfolio with strong event and digital adjacencies, making it the most direct comparable peer in scale and business model.
• MEED (Middle East Economic Digest): Long-established B2B business intelligence brand covering the Middle East across energy, construction, and infrastructure. Highly comparable to Alain Charles on regional focus (Middle East), niche vertical B2B targeting, and a blend of print, digital, and events revenue.
• Oil & Gas Middle East: B2B trade magazine dedicated to the oil & gas sector in the Middle East — directly overlapping with Alain Charles's Oil Review Middle East and Oil Review Africa titles. Same vertical, same advertiser base, same regional concentration, and similar print+digital+event model.
• Arabian Business: Leading Middle East business magazine and digital platform targeting senior executives and decision makers in the region. Comparable audience (C-suite, government, business owners) and comparable advertising-supported B2B media model with print roots and digital expansion.
• The Africa Report: Pan-African business news magazine and digital platform covering economics, finance, and industry across Africa. Direct comparable on geographic focus (Africa), vertical B2B audience, and the print-to-digital transition playbook for emerging-market business media.
• Forbes Africa: African edition of the Forbes business magazine brand targeting African business leaders and entrepreneurs. Comparable B2B and executive-focused audience, with similar premium advertising positioning across print and digital editions in Africa.
• Forbes Middle East: Middle East edition of Forbes targeting regional business leaders, government officials, and high-net-worth decision makers. Comparable regional Middle East focus, executive B2B audience, and advertising-supported business media model.
• Jeune Afrique: Pan-African news magazine and digital platform with deep B2B and political economy coverage of the continent. Comparable on geographic focus (Africa), French/English bilingual publishing (like Communications Africa/Afrique), and a long-standing print heritage transitioning to digital.

Broad incumbents

• Informa plc: Global B2B events, publishing, and intelligence group operating thousands of trade brands across dozens of verticals worldwide. Comparable on the underlying business model of vertical B2B media, but materially larger, publicly listed, and diversified across many more geographies and end markets than Alain Charles.
• Wilmington plc: UK-listed B2B information and publishing group spanning professional, financial, and compliance verticals. Comparable on the niche B2B publishing model, but operates at significantly broader scale and across mature Western markets rather than emerging-market geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/107032395996599
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alain-charles-publishing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Alain Charles Publishing