Today Reach announced that it has purchased Affiliate North, an annual industry event brand based in Manchester, bringing together affiliates, brands and marketers for expert insights, networking and growth, with 150 delegates joining last year.
Journalist and Prolific North founder David Prior previously bought the brand in 2024 and sold it to Reach in this week’s deal. Going forward, it will be run by the Reach Events and Live Experiences team, who also run Pride of Britain and Pride of Scotland .
The next event takes place on 24th September 2026 at Manchester Hall, with tickets on sale now.
Reach Interim Chief Revenue Officer Maria Purcell said: “David has done a brilliant job over the last year making this event a must for any brand looking to connect with communities around the country.
“We are delighted to bring this into the Reach stable as we continue to diversify our Events and Live Experiences offerings, and as ecommerce and affiliates continue to be an important source of revenue in keeping with our wider diversification strategy.”
David Prior said: “The success of our inaugural event in 2025 exceeded all expectations, and the incredible feedback we received from delegates and sponsors alike confirmed that the North’s affiliate marketing community was looking for a dedicated home.
“Reaching this point so quickly is a testament to the strength of that community. Reach’s scale, expertise and national reach make them the ideal home for Affiliate North’s next chapter, and I’m confident the event will go from strength to strength under their stewardship.”
Reach Partnerships Director Karen Brodie added: “Affiliate marketing is a central pillar of our partnerships strategy, and we believe we can add immense value to this already successful event.
“By layering Reach’s scale, our sophisticated first-party data, and our editorial expertise over the existing Affiliate North platform, we can evolve it into a powerhouse for the industry, providing a space where our partners and the wider affiliate community can drive relationships and real commercial results.”
– ENDS –
For queries please contact the Reach Press Office: communications@reachplc.com
To discuss sponsorship or speaker opportunities please contact Karen Brodie: karen.brodie@reachplc.com
Notes to editors:
About Reach
We’re Reach plc and we’re proud to be the UK and Ireland’s largest commercial news publisher.
We connect with people on and offline, sharing our trusted content through 120+ brands, from household names like the Mirror, Express, Daily Record and Daily Star, to local titles like MyLondon, BelfastLive and the Manchester Evening News, plus our growing US brands like the Irish Star.
We are in the communities we serve, we understand people’s values and passions, and we reach people where they live – whether that’s their neighbourhood newsstand, their social feed or their favourite app. That’s why every month we reach 69% of the UK online population,9% of the US population, and over 112m social followers around the world.
For more information, visit reachplc.com
About Affiliate North
Affiliate North is an annual industry event brand based in Manchester, bringing together affiliates, brands and marketers for expert insights, networking and growth. Founded in 2022 under the Affiliate Gathering name, and originally based in York, the business was acquired by David Prior in 2024. At the October 2025 event, Affiliate North attracted over 150 delegates, as well as sponsors, speakers and exhibitors including Ezoic, Webgains, Google, THG, ITV and Dentsu.
For more information, visit affiliatenorth.com
