Northern Ireland’s largest and most widely read monthly lifestyle and society magazine the Ulster Tatler has been acquired by newspapers group Media Concierge.
The Tatler was first published in September 1966 and has been a glossy social record of key events ever since, celebrating the people, places and occasions that define life here.
But now its parent company Ulster Journals Ltd has been formally bought out by Malcolm Denmark’s ever-expanding media group for an undisclosed sum.
As well as the Tatler, the deal by Media Concierge includes the purchase of Ulster Tatler Interiors, a range of contract publishing contracts, and also two of the best-know events on the Northern Ireland calendar - the Ulster Tatler Awards and the Influential Women Awards.
“It’s our first acquisition in Northern Ireland outside news media, and it adds premium lifestyle publishing and live events to our portfolio,” a spokesman for Media Concierge said.
Its chief executive Malcolm Denmark added: “This shows we intend to be part of every side of community life here, not just the headlines.
“Our job is to protect what makes the Tatler special and give it the investment and reach to grow in print, digital and events.”
The Ulster Tatler and its subsidiaries, which are based at Ormeau business park in the Belfast Gasworks, where they moved last year after more than 40 years on Boucher Road, has a staff of 19.
Its most recently published accounts show that it has shareholder funds of more than £200,000.
For 60 years the glossy magazine has covered a wide range of events in the Northern Ireland social calendar as well as covering local fashion, beauty, healthcare and more.
The focus of the magazine - which sells more than 10,000 copies a month and has a readership of more than 250,000 - has been very much on the positive aspects of life in the region.
Through its subsidiary Iconic Media Group (formerly National World), new owners Media Concierge Group controls a number of newspaper and digital news brands across the north, including the News Letter, Derry Journal and Newry Reporter.
Media Concierge had paid £65.1 million to complete the purchase of National World in May 2025.
Then in June this year it completed the acquisition of unionist peer John Taylor’s Dungannon-based Alpha Group and its 13 newspaper titles.
Media Concierge Group reported a 21% increase in turnover to £137.6m for the year ending September 2025.
It left the ultimate parent group for Malcolm Denmark’s media interests with a pre-tax profit of £3.4 million for 2025.
Ulster Tatler has been approached for a comment on the sale.
