FOR a company that has been around since 1868, change was inevitable for a brand like Exchange and Mart. From being one of the first, if not the first, ever classified advertising magazine in the UK to a fully online car classified business, adapting is one of the reasons Exchange and Mart has been around for 150 years.

So for a brand that is so in tune with the growing world of digital, so much so as to cease printing its successful magazine in 2009, why would they go back to print in 2018 (if only for a one-off)?

“Since the beginning, all those 150 years ago, Exchange and Mart has been synonymous with buying and selling, whether it was exchanging stamps or servants. And eventually, the magazine grew into somewhat of a motoring staple and the place to go for buying and selling cars. But over time buying habits changed and the world of digital took over. So we listened to our readers and our users and put all of our commitment and focus into our website”, explains Exchange and Mart Brand Manager Lynn Clark.

“But when it came to our 150th year, we couldn’t truly acknowledge the brand without looking back at what started our success and what the name is remembered for and that is the magazine. To this day we still have customers and users reminiscing about their fond memories of the magazine.”

“For our 100th birthday we released some copies of the very first edition but for the 150th we wanted to do something different, remembering our past but also looking to the future.”, continues Lynn.

The new supplement comes off the back of their huge brand campaign ‘When you want ABS and not BS’, which was launched across radio, press and digital back in March, and introduced the new tagline ‘150 years on the clock and still going’. It’s not a surprise that the supplement will be printed within all Newsquest publications from September, as the brand was bought by the media group in 2005. The supplement is not only a nod to Exchange and Mart’s history, but the motor industry itself.

“We’ve worked with experts in the car industry to produce the supplement which features interesting facts about the brand, its history, as well as delving in the motor industry in general and how it has progressed over the years. We’ve also brought out our crystal ball and given some predictions for the next 150 years!”

Whether you love a bit of nostalgia, driving down memory lane, are a bit of a petrolhead or even fancy searching for a new car – the Exchange and Mart 150th edition is the perfect read. Get your copy from Monday 24th September.