EXCHANGE and Mart, one of the oldest classified advertising businesses in the UK, is returning to print for a one-off edition.

The business has existed since 1868 and stopped printing a magazine in 2009, becoming a fully online classified cars business.

It is marking its 150th anniversary by publishing a printed product as a supplement in all Newsquest publications, starting this week.

Lynn Clark, Exchange and Mart brand manager, said: “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.

“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.”

The new supplement comes off the back of a big brand campaign, “When you want ABS and not BS”, which was launched across radio, press and digital in March, and introduced the new tagline “150 years on the clock and still going”.

The brand was bought in 2005 by the Daily Echo’s publisher Newsquest, which is the second biggest publisher of regional newspapers in the UK.

Lynn Clark added: “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.”

The special Exchange and Mart supplement is in Newsquest publications this week, including the Daily Echo on Saturday.