Gun Mart owner buys British Shooting Show

Time Well Spent Group has acquired the UK’s largest retail shooting exhibition, with founders John and Annie Allison temporarily staying on to run next this year’s event

The British Shooting Show has been sold to Time Well Spent Group, the media organisation behind Gun Mart.

John and Annie Allison, who have built the BSS into what is widely regarded as the premier retail event for the UK shooting industry, are staying on temporarily to help deliver this year’s show. Their decision to remain involved is aimed at ensuring continuity as ownership changes hands.

Mr Allison said the sale secured the show’s future. “After nearly two decades, it was important to secure the show’s future with a group that genuinely understands our world,” he said. “Time Well Spent Group shares our values, our respect for the community and our belief in doing things properly. Annie and I are proud to remain closely involved.”

The show has grown steadily since it launched in 2009, and now attracts more than 200 exhibitors with 600 stands spread across three halls at the Birmingham venue. Guns, optics, clothing and ammunition are all on display, and visitors can handle equipment before buying. Many retailers offer show-only prices.

Next month’s event goes ahead as planned from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 February at the NEC in Birmingham. According to the show’s website: “Whether you’re an avid wildfowler, clay shooter, game shot or love nothing more than a day in the pigeon hide, the British Shooting show has every type of shotgun for every shooting discipline.”

Simon K. Barr, chief executive of Time Well Spent Group, said: “The British Shooting Show is an outstanding event with a loyal audience and a strong reputation built through many years of hard work by John, Annie and their team. We are delighted they will continue to be closely involved as we work together to deliver the 2026 show and shape the event’s future.”

Time Well Spent Group publishes Gun Mart, Shooting Times, Sporting Gun, Airgun World, Rifle Shooter, Fieldsports Journal, Gundog Journal and Trout & Salmon, alongside trade titles Gun Trade Insider and Gun Trade World. The company is Europe’s largest media business focused on outdoor pursuits, firearm owners and the fieldsports community.

The group has not said what changes, if any, it plans to make to the show, though it has indicated it wants to link the event more closely with its magazines and websites. But for next month’s show, “it is very much business as usual,” said Mr Barr, adding, “This is a collaborative transition built on continuity, trust and shared standards.”

The British Shooting Show’s February timing has proved popular with shooters buying kit for the year ahead, whilst the indoor format at the NEC allows direct comparison of products under one roof. The event runs from 9am to 4pm each day, with parking included in the ticket price.

Tickets can be purchased at shootingshow.co.uk.