Media tycoon Lord Alan Sugar parts ownership of his business empire to multinational media corporation Bauer.
In a significant move, business magnate Lord Alan Sugar has sold his digital signage company, Amscreen, to Bauer Media Group. The deal, which was officially announced in September 2025, marks a strategic expansion for Bauer Media Group, a German-based media conglomerate founded in 1875.
Amscreen, headquartered in Bolton, Lancashire, has been a prominent player in the digital signage industry, operating in countries such as the UK, France, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, and more. The company, which employs over 60 people, had a turnover of £52.7m for 2023, a significant increase from the £41.7m recorded in the previous year.
However, the pre-tax profit for Amshold Trading, the division that includes Amscreen, declined slightly from £8.4m to £10.8m for the 12 months ending September 2024. Despite this, Amscreen's turnover for the same period saw a decrease from £28.4m to £27.1m.
The sale of Amscreen was part of Lord Sugar's wider business empire, Amshold Group. Lord Sugar, who served as Amscreen's chairman, has sold his entire stake in Hernshead Group, an engineering and technology recruitment agency, in addition to the Amscreen division. His son, Simon Sugar, has remained as the chief executive of Amscreen.
Tom Johnson, the founder of Hernshead Group, has taken full control of the company following the buyout. Johnson, who held 50 shares in Hernshead Group before the management buyout, plans to expand the company across Europe and North America.
Bauer Media Group, which owns more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products, 50 radio and TV stations, print shops, postal, distribution, and marketing services, is poised to leverage Amscreen's out-of-home advertising capabilities across the continent. Following the takeover of Clear Channel Europe in April, Bauer Media Group now operates out-of-home advertising across Europe.
The details of the shares held by Lord Sugar, Michael Ray, and Johnson in Hernshead Group were confirmed in a document filed with Companies House. At the time of sale, Lord Sugar held 45 shares in Hernshead Group, and Michael Ray held five.
This strategic move by Lord Alan Sugar and Bauer Media Group is set to reshape the digital signage and out-of-home advertising landscape, offering exciting opportunities for growth and innovation in the industry.
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