Journalist sells rights to annual industry event to Reach
Hyperlocal publisher bought brand in 2024
A journalist and hyperlocal publisher who bought an annual industry event brand two years ago has sold it on to Reach plc.
Affiliate North, an annual event based in Manchester dedicated to the affiliate marketing sector, was bought by entrepreneurial journalist David Prior in 2024.
David, who also edits hyperlocal magazine Altrincham Today and was until recently a partner in B2B website Prolific North, has now sold it on to publishing giant Reach.
The next edition of the event, on 24 September 2026, will now be run by the Reach Events and Live Experiences team, who also run Pride of Britain and Pride of Scotland .
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based digital marketing strategy where an individual or company - the affiliate - earns a commission by promoting another company’s products or services.
The affiliate uses a unique tracking link to drive traffic or sales, receiving a percentage of the revenue for every action completed, such as a purchase or signup
Said David: "The success of our inaugural event in 2025 exceeded all expectations, and the incredible feedback we received from delegates and sponsors alike confirmed that the North's affiliate marketing community was looking for a dedicated home.
"Reaching this point so quickly is a testament to the strength of that community. Reach's scale, expertise and national reach make them the ideal home for Affiliate North's next chapter, and I'm confident the event will go from strength to strength under their stewardship."
Reach's interim chief revenue officer Maria Purcell said: “David has done a brilliant job over the last year making this event a must for any brand looking to connect with communities around the country.
“We are delighted to bring this into the Reach stable as we continue to diversify our Events and Live Experiences offerings, and as ecommerce and affiliates continue to be an important source of revenue in keeping with our wider diversification strategy.”
Reach partnerships director Karen Brodie added: “Affiliate marketing is a central pillar of our partnerships strategy, and we believe we can add immense value to this already successful event.
“By layering Reach’s scale, our sophisticated first-party data, and our editorial expertise over the existing Affiliate North platform, we can evolve it into a powerhouse for the industry, providing a space where our partners and the wider affiliate community can drive relationships and real commercial results.”
