wo of the UK’s largest newspaper publishers have proposed combining their printing operations amid a local weather of declining print gross sales.
In a press launch, News UK and DMG Media stated they consider the proposal would assist enhance the effectivity of their print operations and set up a sustainable enterprise mannequin for the way forward for nationwide newspaper printing within the UK.
The businesses – which publish The Sun, The Times and The Daily Mail – would create a brand new firm (NewCo), which might run their mixed print operations.
Whereas the proposal would retain the three present printing websites utilized by Information UK’s Newsprinters – Broxbourne, Knowlsey, and Eurocentral – it might probably imply the closure of two of DMG Media’s websites in Thurrock and Dinnington.
The businesses added that they’re participating with the related regulatory authorities.
Darren Barker, the managing director of Information UK’s Newsprinters UK, stated the three way partnership was a “genuinely thrilling answer”.
“Hundreds of thousands of newspapers are printed and distributed throughout the UK daily, informing and entertaining hundreds of thousands of their loyal readers,” he stated.
“However the actuality is that print readership has been in decline for some years now, and the sector has come underneath growing stress to raised align capability with demand.
“I consider this three way partnership is a genuinely thrilling answer which units out a long-term sustainable future for the newspaper printing business, purchasers and the nationwide every day newspaper ecosystem within the UK.”
DMG Media group manufacturing director Julia Palmer-Poucher stated: “The information business has reworked and continues to alter quickly. DMG Media is on the forefront of this transformation and in addition stays dedicated to its print titles, its workforce and its readers.
“The last decade-long decline in print circulation has not been matched with adjustments to print capability and we should discover methods to maintain bodily newspapers, which have an essential future, commercially viable.
“This proposed mixture would supply a long-term answer for the Mail print titles and a sustainable future for the newspaper printing business.
“We’re conscious this will likely be an unsure time for these probably impacted and our precedence is to supply employees with the help they want all through this course of.”