Bentley Motors was established in 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley in Cricklewood, North London. W.O. Bentley, as he was known, had successfully manufactured aircraft engines during the First World War. The company's reputation for high-performance, fast cars was spread by a group of wealthy British automobile aficionados known as the "Bentley Boys." Bentley had great success on the racetrack at Le Mans in particular, winning four back-to-back victories between 1927 and 1930. The Great Depression drastically reduced demand for luxury cars, and Bentley Motors found itself in receivership in 1931. The firm became Bentley Motors (1931) Ltd. at this point, and was sold to Rolls-Royce. Production moved to Derby. In the war years, Rolls-Royce began producing its famous Merlin aircraft engines in Crewe, and in 1946 Bentley Motors was moved here to benefit from a concentration of engineering talent and skilled mechanics. It was here that one of the most successful models in the firm's history was produced: the Bentley Mark VI. Financial difficulties at Rolls-Royce prompted the separation of its aircraft and motor businesses in 1970, with the formation of Rolls-Royce Motors (of which Bentley was a subsidiary) in 1971. This became a public company, Rolls-Royce Motors Ltd, in 1973. The business was sold to Vickers in 1980, where production and sales enjoyed a considerable increase throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 1998 Vickers sold Rolls-Royce Motors and its subsidiaries to Volkswagen AG for £430 million. Bentley cars continued to be manufactured in Crewe after the change in ownership.

Haymarket Consumer Media was established in London under the name Cornmarket Press in 1957. The founding partners were Clive Labovitch and the future MP Michael Heseltine. The company published magazines and periodicals. The company acquired the magazine Man About Town in 1959. The magazine's printer, Hazell Watson & Viney, invested in Cornmarket Press in 1964, which led to the company name changing to Haymarket. The 1960s saw further acquisitions of MIMS and GP. The British Printing Corporation merged its own magazines into Haymarket in 1967. The new titles included weekly magazine Autosport, the monthly Lithoprinter (later known as PrintWeek) and Gardener’s Chronicle (GC). The business launched advertising magainze 'Campaign' in the following year and Horticulture Week in 1969, after merging GC into its new acquisition, Horticultural Trades Journal. The 1970s saw the company launch 'What Car?' and successfully move into medical publishing. The 1980s saw further expansion, including international ventures and the acquisition of 'Autocar' magazine from Reed. The company began the 1990s by creating its Haymarket Exhibitions division. New magazine titles in subsequent years included Planning Week, FourFourTwo and F1 Racing. The company also continued to acquire existing publications with Motoring News (later relaunched as Motorsport News), Planning, Gramophone and Stuff (UK version) joining the firm. Haymarket made its first forays into the digital world in 1998, launching online versions of Campaign Live, What Car? and Autosport. Since 2000 the business has expanded into Hong Kong, India, the United States and Germany.