Yahoo Finance Truells Eye Float Of Magazine Group Imagine
Two of the City's most prominent siblings are plotting a flotation of Imagine Publishing, a magazine imprint whose titles include All About Space and Total (NYSE: TOT - news) 911, the Porsche enthusiasts' bible.
Sky News understands that Danny and Edi Truell, financiers who have engineered scores of deals during their careers, are lining up bankers from Canaccord Genuity (Other OTC: CCORF - news) to oversee a public listing of the specialist content publisher.
A flotation, which will take place on London's junior AIM market and is likely to be announced later this month, would represent the Truells' latest effort to raise capital to invest in a sector where some of its competitors are struggling.
Recent figures published by the Audit Bureau of Circulations showed that consumer magazines lost close to 1m print sales in the first half of the year as readers increasingly shift their consumption to digital platforms.
Imagine was set up in 2005 by a trio of former executives of major magazine publishers, before they sold a controlling stake to the brothers last year.
It aims to exploit growing demand for bespoke content, with readers able to order individually created digital magazines that reflect their personal interests.
Imagine publishes 20 print titles focused on four core areas: knowledge and science, photography, technology and video-games.
It also offers 50 digital apps and more than 250 bookazines under titles such as Piano for Beginners and The Professional PhotoShop Book.
The company is listed as a 'partner direct company' of Disruptive Capital Finance, the Truells' investment vehicle.
According to Imagine's website, it recorded sales of £19m last year and employs more than 150 people.
Danny Truell is the chief investment officer of the Wellcome Trust, the medical research charity, overseeing last month's acquisition of the Co-operative Group's agricultural interests.
Edi Truell, who will chair Imagine when it goes public, previously ran Duke Street Capital, the private equity firm, before founding the pension buyout group Pension Corporation.
He now chairs the London Pensions Fund Authority for the Mayor, Boris Johnson.
The brothers also sit on the board of Tungsten Corporation (Other OTC: TUNG - news) , which is now building a substantial presence in the e-invoicing market.
