Harpers, the wine and spirits magazine, has been acquired by William Reed Business Media (WRBM), the UK's leading publishing company for the food and drink industry.

The deal, completed on Friday November 14, also includes the Harpers Directory and the title's website. The Harpers team will be relocated to WRBM's HQ in Crawley.

"It has been a long-term ambition to add Harpers to the stable and we are delighted to have achieved this albeit 130 years down the line," said WRBM's drinks division MD Andrew Reed. "The opportunity clearly lies in enhancing Harpers' reputation as the information source for the drinks industry."

WRBM will be conducting in-depth research to see how the industry would like their information needs met in the future.

Harpers will join WRBM's existing portfolio, which includes The Grocer, Wine & Spirit, Morning Advertiser, Off Licence News and Restaurant. It also owns the world's foremost wine competition, the International Wine Challenge, and runs a number of drinks events including the Responsible Drinks Retailing Awards, The Merchant Awards and The Restaurant Show.

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