Friday Media Group, which started with our flagship brand ‘The Friday-Ad’, is celebrating a defining moment in its history as we move to our new headquarters to Brighton in 2021.
Chris and Liz Kidger started the Friday Ad in 1974 little did they know that nearly 30 years later in 2003 they would be printing and publishing 80 publications a week from their flagship headquarters at Sayers Common on the A23 near Brighton and delivering them overnight to Manchester, Sheffield, Wales and East Anglia.
Then came change and the route to growth became the web. Today the newspaper press has gone and the need for fast motorway deliveries has been superseded by technology. With this in mind a new flagship site has been purchased on the seafront in tech savvy Brighton to meet the needs of today.
“We are still a family company with offices in Barcelona, Miami, Preston and Pembroke. We are still innovating and the move to be completed later this year is designed to help us re-focus on the next 30 years.” -Chris Kidger
The business which is now Friday Media Group has evolved rapidly and the Kidger family have now made the decision to move the head office to Brighton and launch a new print business in Haywards Heath.
“Sayers Common has been our home for over 20 years. It’s synonymous with the Friday-Ad, so this move is a momentous occasion for us. It marks the next step in our evolution from a print to an increasingly digital business. It’s a really exciting time for us and we look forward to the growth and opportunities this opens up for us.” says Sam Kidger, CEO of Friday Media Group and son of founders Chris and Liz Kidger.
SO a new Brighton HQ, Why ?
“As the business has evolved, so have our needs in terms of what we need from a head office.
The time was right to say goodbye to Sayers Common and find a new global headquarters for the Friday Media Group. We believe that in Clarendon Mansions, Brighton we have found a location that will benefit both the immediate surrounding area and give FMG a home that’ll allow it to continue on its journey of innovation.”, says Joel Kidger, Managing Director of Friday-Ad and FMG.
How the Covid-19 crisis has been a ‘catalyst for positive change’
Lockdown has been a challenging but transformational time for the Friday Media Group, as it has been for many other businesses. It has allowed Sam and Joel Kidger to take time to think about their long term vision for the business, specifically in regards to the new HQ in Brighton.
There have been difficult decisions, but also a huge sense of coming together as a team. We’ve seen some amazing successes and great productivity across the board. Working from home has also brought other benefits for our colleagues like reduced travel times, more flexibility and work-life balance. All of this has helped to shape Sam and Joel’s vision of what our work set-up should look like for all colleagues going forward.
The new headquarters still need considerable work to become the modern and innovative office space that Sam and Joel envisage. Work is already underway, obviously with social distancing limitations.
Meanwhile our colleagues in the South East will not return to our Sayers Common office. “It’s been a quiet and unexpected exit, not like we envisaged. But it feels right to look to the future now. Returning to Sayers Common from where we are now would feel like a step back, and we’re keen to keep moving forward.” says Sam Kidger.
Our colleagues will continue to work remotely with some set office days in coworking spaces being created in Brighton and Haywards Heath until the new home of the Friday Media Group is ready to move into.
The vision for Clarendon Mansions…
Location: East Street in Central Brighton, ‘A stones throw from the beach’, 12 minutes walk to Brighton Station.
The Friday Media Group has a reputation for creating great work spaces. The new HQ will become the flagship for the Group. “We will build on the contemporary office design of Sayers Common, and improve it further to create a vibrant working environment and more flexible working conditions.” says Joel Kidger.
“Being in the centre of Brighton will make hiring and retaining great talent easier, which will benefit the growth of our digital business. We have actively pursued a strategy of developing academy staff in recent years, linking up with local schools and colleges. Being ‘in situ’ will help us do this more effectively, as we will be far more accessible.” Joel continues.
“As a fast moving forward-thinking business, being in Brighton will put us in a stronger position to learn and grow, collaborate and network with other businesses around us. We’d like to use the Clarendon space to host such events in the future.” concludes Sam Kidger.
An exciting time for Friday Media Group!
To 2021
