Adam Leyland spent 20 years as editor-in-chief for William Reed’s food and drink industry bible The Grocer before stepping down this month.
He is now editor-at-large, continuing to write for the B2B brand while building a freelance career. He is also a former editor of Real Business and Print Week and launched the US version of Haymarket’s PR Week.
Leyland told Press Gazette the move from a hard online paywall to a metered one was a crucial moment for The Grocer in 2020 and that in the past year it has bucked industry trends with search traffic growth as well as record digital subscriptions. He discussed the journey from being a print publication of record to a “multichannel B2B powerhouse”.
He also shared his work mantra about keeping readers at the forefront of everything he did, and what he learned about recruiting and leading a team.
What’s been a big turning point/breakthrough moment for you?
There have been so many. But if I had to pick one it was The Grocer’s switch to metered access on its paywall. Having operated with a hard paywall, metered access meant The Grocer’s fabulous content was ‘discoverable’.
Fortuitously, we switched at the outset of Covid which provided the perfect springboard for the new strategy. Traffic, registrations and subscriptions all soared and while traffic dipped for a while, it did so at a much higher level, and The Grocer now had a compelling digital model. It’s never looked back.
What’s kept you up at night?
It’s called the fast-moving consumer goods industry for a reason: it’s vast and it’s relentless, and there’s a general paranoia about missing the next big story. But clearly the rise of Gen AI is of concern for all publishers. The Grocer has so far managed to keep ahead of it – in fact search traffic to the website increased to 67% in the last year, bucking the market trend – but the pace and scale of change means no one can be complacent.
What has got you out of bed in the morning for all these years?
The food and drink industry really matters. I’ve always said The Grocer is like a newspaper minus the sport as it covers everything else: politics, the economy, health, sustainability, consumer trends, the labour force and workers’s rights, entrepreneurship, innovation, technology etc. So whether it’s a big breaking news story or a clever (and sometimes delicious) new product, there are always interesting stories to tell, and the constant challenge of staying on top of them and doing them justice.
How are things going right now, what’s working?
The Grocer is performing fantastically well. Traffic on thegrocer.co.uk has surpassed the Covid highs for the first time in the last year, with a record 11.5 million page views on thegrocer.co.uk from 4.9 million unique users, including almost 360,000 identifiable industry professionals, resulting in a record number of digital subscriptions.
Aside from The Grocer’s outstanding coverage, which meant our stories were picked up in 6,877 national and regional media articles, the updated newsletter strategy has played a big part in The Grocer’s recent success, with a record 570,000 sign-ups to our 26 or so newsletters.
And the weekly print magazine remains hugely popular among subscribers and advertisers, again bucking the trend.
Meanwhile, the Gold Awards in July at the Royal Albert Hall achieved record entries, tickets and sponsorship, and won two awards itself at the Award Awards 2026 in June.
Later this month The Grocer is also hosting its first-ever Health Summit at the QEII Hall in Westminster, with a fantastic programme of speakers, including leading scientists such as Chris Van Tulleken, doctors, lobbyists, influencers – as well as leading supermarkets, brands and entrepreneurs.
What has been your proudest achievement?
I have two: the evolution of The Grocer from a weekly journal of record print publication to a campaigning, agenda-setting, multichannel B2B powerhouse. And my role in the recruitment and development of so many outstanding B2B journalists. Based out of the media hub that isn’t Crawley, it wasn’t easy but over the years we managed to attract superb journalists, and my team and I have won a number of awards.
Some journalists have gone on to enjoy fabulous careers in the national media or senior editorial roles in other B2B magazine publishing houses. But I’m also fantastically proud of the brilliant team I’m leaving behind, to continue the mission.
Biggest mistake, and what did you learn from it?
As the late Sir John Sainsbury once told me: “If I’ve made any mistakes I’m certainly not going to tell you!” It’s difficult to think of one individual thing but my mistakes have mostly been around people in one way or another.
When it’s come to leading a team and motivating others, what has worked for you?
I’ve always set exacting standards in the pursuit of excellence and fiercely defended The Grocer’s editorial independence and integrity. Most journalists have appreciated this and have risen magnificently to the challenge.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what is it?
I think something about work-life balance. The Grocer has been all-consuming for me, a passion project. It’s important to look after yourself and doing so has a positive impact on your work too.
Who or what has inspired you and why?
It would have to be the late Sir Ken Morrison. When I first joined The Grocer in 2006 he wrote me a lovely letter congratulating me on my appointment and he said that an industry always gets the trade magazine it deserves. I’ve always tried to live up to that challenge because the food and drink industry is brilliant, colourful, creative, often noble, sometimes controversial, always hard working, and endlessly clever and resourceful.
What has been your work mantra?
For me it’s always been to think first and foremost about the reader. I have liked to think about/write for individual readers that I deeply respect and to ensure that when they read what we write, they think it’s accurate, fair and nuanced, and that it strikes the right tone, whether that’s critical, supportive or celebratory.
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