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Former Crain’s boss helps launch new business title

The former boss of a weekly business newspaper has helped a regional publisher launch a new monthly business title in Scotland.

Publishing consultant Arthur Porter, the former publisher of Crain’s Manchester Business, worked with the Romanes Media Group to launch The Business Journal for Edinburgh and Fife.

The monthly newspaper will be distributed free to 10,000 businesses in the area but will also be available on a subscription basis with a £1.99 cover price.

It will be launched next month and will be targeted at business executives representing companies employing five or more staff or with an annual turnover of more than £1m.

The publication is based on the America business journal model and will contain local business news stories, a business record section, industry company ranking lists, a growth strategies section and a people on the move section.

Arthur, who has led the project following his experience in the industry in the US, said: “I am very excited to be working with Romanes Media Group on The Business Journal.

“It is our intention for The Business Journal to become the primary source for local business news and information.

“We can achieve this by ensuring we provide our readers with quality news and information they cannot get anywhere else. In doing so we will be able to offer businesses an ideal vehicle to promote their products and services through advertising and sponsorship.”

Readers will also be able to download tablet editions of the publication from June.

Martin Little, head of business development at Romanes Media Group, said: “We’re delighted to be bringing Scotland its first Business Journal.

“We believe this will prove a vital component to the strong business communities that it serves and look forward to further establishing our presence in these regions.”

Arthur was the former publisher of Crain’s Manchester Business but left the business in January 2010 before it ceased publication in June that year.

Last summer, he announced plans to launch a business title for Chester, the Wirral and North Wales but it did not go ahead after he was unable to gain funding for the project.