Dalesman publisher starts new chapter with Yorkshire Bank backing

20th June 2012

One of the North's best-known magazine, book and calendar publishers is launching the latest in its new series of visitor guides after gaining support from Yorkshire Bank.

The Dalesman Visitor Guide to the North Yorkshire Moors is being published this month (June) by Country Publications Ltd as part of its latest expansion backed by Yorkshire Bank's West Yorkshire Financial Solutions Centre (FSC), as part of its Investing for Growth initiative.

The new guide, which follows one published last year on the Yorkshire Dales, also covers the East Coast of Yorkshire and York, and is part of a growth strategy by Country Publications, which may see it acquire more titles, as well as grow organically.

Country Publications Ltd, Broughton Hall, Skipton, was founded more than 70 years ago with the first issue of The Dalesman magazine, and also publishes regional magazines Cumbria, Down Your Way, and national magazine The Countryman. The company also published books based on local history, folklore, humour and photography.

Managing director, Robert Flanagan, says: "Yorkshire Bank's West Yorkshire FSC is providing finance for us to invest in organic growth with our new series of guides and our website, with some funding for acquisitions also. This will allow us to continue to invest and expand in a difficult economic climate, exploit new revenue streams and grow our market share so we can emerge even more strongly when the economy picks up.

"The grey market and the UK tourism sectors are both expanding, and the proportion of the population aged above 50 is growing – and this is the core audience for our magazines. Meanwhile, the guides we have published so far have benefited from the strong marketing of Yorkshire which has led to growth in visitor numbers and sales.

"Yorkshire Bank has been very helpful in providing flexible and creative solutions to our funding needs, at a time when good-quality lending is not easy to come by."

Country Publications Ltd, has 20 staff at its Broughton Hall offices, and covers the whole of the UK, with its core readership in Yorkshire and Cumbria.

Nick Le Grove, business partner at Yorkshire Bank's West Yorkshire FSC said: "The changing demographic of the UK's population, coupled with more people visiting the region for holidays and residents' pride in their county, can only help Country Publications Ltd in its expansion plans and Yorkshire Bank is pleased to be supporting this well-known publisher."

Yorkshire Bank's Investing for Growth initiative enables businesses to take advantage of loan repayment holidays, interest-only repayments and extended loan and credit terms designed to take advantage of quality growth opportunities. Businesses signing up to the package can re-invest the cash into their operation for expansion, new staff, equipment, machinery and commercial development.