MAGAZINES company 4130 Publishing Ltd has joined forces with two other established publishers for a major development in the action sports market.

4130 Publishing Ltd, which is based at The Grove in Dorchester, has merged with Action Sports Media and Permanent Publishing under a new group holding company called Factory Media.

The move will allow the trio of companies - hailed as three of Europe's most established youth sports media companies - to expand and develop their titles to their full potential.

4130 Publishing employs 18 staff and has brought five magazines titles to the merger - Ride BMX, Dig BMX, Moto, Document Skateboard and Dirt Mountain Bike Magazine.

The move comes as the company publishes the 100th issue of its longest-running title Ride BMX with a special edition out this weekend.

4130 Publishing will continue in Dorchester and publisher Mark Noble has become editorial director of the group's bike portfolio.

Mr Noble, who lives in Dorchester, said: "For years now, our magazines and the dedicated people behind them have been wanting to go further and truly achieve what we all know can be achieved.

"We were all held back, not by lack of love for our sports or lack of desire to create legit magazines and media that inform and inspire a generation, but lack of sheer business size.

"Our magazines ruled but there was so much more potential. Now as a group we have the tools, the people, and business scale to go further."

Factory Media has offices in Dorchester, Biarritz, Munich and London. The group has 12 UK action sports-related magazines, an additional 13 international editions and 13 established websites.

It has aggressive plans for digital investment, youth market launches and further international expansion.

The move will mean greater investment and the potential for more frequent editions, foreign language editions and online development.