Independent Publishers Group Acquires United Independent Distributors

October 20, 2021

Independent Publishers Group (US-based IPG) is pleased to announce that it has acquired UK-based United Independent Distributors (UID).

This international acquisition includes Eurospan, the UK’s leading sales and marketing agency for international academic and professional publishers, and the distribution centers, Marston, Orca, and Turpin. This expands on IPG’s core business of providing publisher services to high quality independent publishers from around the world.

“This historic merger provides exciting new opportunities to expand the global reach of independent publishers on both sides of the Atlantic and creates an unrivaled menu of services to drive sales,” said Joe Matthews, IPG CEO. “I could not imagine a better way to celebrate IPG’s 50-year anniversary.”

IPG will gain new core competencies, such as Eurospan’s global network of sales and marketing channels and Turpin’s renowned journals business. The UK entities likewise gain IPG’s proprietary e-book platform and robust digital print solutions. The combined entities will offer the most comprehensive platform of global services to provide a seamless integration of sales, marketing, print, and distribution to our ever-expanding lists of international publishers.

“This exciting new partnership enables the combined UID companies to step up to the next level and will provide a truly global reach to all our publishing clients,” said Mark Chaloner, UID COO.

About Independent Publishers Group:
In 2021, Independent Publishers Group (US-based IPG, www.ipgbook.com) celebrates its 50th anniversary. As the original North American distributor, IPG was founded specifically to represent titles from independent publishers to the book trade. Today IPG remains committed to reimagining distribution and has grown to provide its publishers with services ranging from pre-publication consultation, global sales, marketing and publicity, supply chain, print and digital distribution, data and reporting, to print brokerage.

IPG was acquired by Chicago Review Press in 1987, and this acquisition formed the parent company Chicago Review Press, Inc., which now owns Chicago-based indie publishers Chicago Review Press and Triumph Books. In the fall of 2006, Chicago Review Press, Inc. bought Trafalgar Square Publishing, Inc., the leading US distributor of such international publishers as Penguin Random House UK, Penguin Random House Australia, Pan Macmillan UK, Collins UK, and Head of Zeus. International Specialized Book Services (ISBS), a premier distributor of over sixty publishers of academic, scholarly, and professional publishers was acquired in April of 2018. Continuing its trajectory of growth in August of 2018, IPG acquired Midpoint Trade Books, a full-service book distribution company that was founded in 1996 and whose distribution clients were made up of independent book publishers from across the US, the UK, Australia, and Canada.

With consistent growth year over year, IPG’s success has come from giving publishers broader reach into more markets, including general trade, academic, children's, Spanish, and special markets.

About United Independent Distributors:
The combined companies of United Independent Distributors (UID, www.uid-group.com) provide a full range of distribution services to academic, trade, and journal publishers both directly and through relationships with agencies. It is a partnership model dedicated to supporting publishers’ access to global markets in the most costeffective ways.