Sunday Business
| Company type | Newspaper |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing, Media |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founder | Tom Rubython |
| Defunct | 2006 |
| Fate | Evolved into The Business magazine |
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
Key people | Andrew Neil (publisher), Jeff Randall (editor), David Cracknell (political editor), Damien McCrystal (diarist and restaurant critic), Lucinda Rogers (illustrator), Mark Watts (chief investigative reporter), Julian Bovis (art director) |
| Products | Financial newspaper |
Sunday Business was a UK-based national Sunday broadsheet financial newspaper that circulated from 1996 until 2006, after which it evolved into the magazine The Business.
History
Originally established by Tom Rubython as a Sunday alternative to the Financial Times, the publication debuted with initial sales near 150,000 copies but experienced a rapid decline to fewer than 20,000 within a few months. In 1997, ownership transferred to the Barclay Brothers, David and Frederick Barclay, who also controlled The European and later acquired titles such as The Daily Telegraph and The Scotsman.
On 15 February 1998, the newspaper was relaunched featuring an exclusive interview with Gordon Brown, who was then pledging a business-centric budget. This relaunch earned the paper significant critical praise and garnered several industry accolades over the following two years, including Newspaper of The Year in 1999 and Newspaper Design of the Year in both 1998 and 2000.
With Jeff Randall appointed editor in late 1997, the publication became a springboard for numerous prominent media professionals. Its editorial base shifted multiple times: beginning at Cavendish Square, relocating for the relaunch to ITN News offices on Gray's Inn Road, moving again to South Quay in London Docklands in 2000, and finally settling at Waterhouse Square in the City of London.
By mid-2003, many essential team members had departed for competing newspapers, prompting production responsibilities to be outsourced to the Press Association. Under editor Andrew Neil, the title was transformed into a weekly glossy magazine named The Business during autumn 2006.
This magazine discontinued its independent publication in 2008 after merging with The Spectator, subsequently reappearing as the monthly Spectator Business magazine.
Key people
Significant figures associated with the relaunched publication included:
- Andrew Neil (publisher): Subsequently became host of BBC political programs such as This Week and The Daily Politics, as well as Chief Executive of The Spectator starting in 2004.
- Jeff Randall (editor): Departed in 2001 to serve as BBC Business Editor before becoming editor-at-large at The Daily Telegraph.
- David Cracknell (political editor): Recruited from The Press Association, he advanced to deputy political editor at Sunday Telegraph in 1999 and later became political editor of The Sunday Times in 2001.
- Damien McCrystal (diarist and restaurant critic): Moved to The Observer as business columnist in 2002, then served as City Diarist at London's Evening Standard, currently managing a communications consultancy.
- Lucinda Rogers (illustrator): Produced weekly illustrations covering political and restaurant subjects from 1997 through 2001.
- Mark Watts (chief investigative reporter): Dismissed in 2001 due to opposition to reductions in the investigative team; now works as a freelance journalist and television presenter.
- Julian Bovis (art director): Joined The Daily Telegraph in 2003 as Executive Design Editor (News).
Editors
- 1996: Tom Rubython, Anil Bhoyrul, Adrian Lithgow
- 1998: Jeff Randall
- 2001: Nils Pratley
- 2001: Richard Northedge and Iain Watson