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.