News UK and DMG Media have combined their print operations to ensure sustainable newspaper printing.
The move comes after news national print circulation has declined by more than 60% in the past 10 years due to the economic climate, rising inflationary costs and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Due to the decline in print circulation, DMG Media production director Julia Palmer-Poucher said the combination would provide a “long-term solution” for a “sustainable future for the newspaper printing industry.”
The proposed combination ‘NewCo’ would print on average over three million newspapers each night and almost 22 million a week. Currently, both newspaper companies are engaging with relevant regulatory authorities.
Until approval, DMG Media printing business and Newsprinters UK remain separate and independent and will continue to operate as such.
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Newsprinters UK managing director Darren Barker said that while millions of newspapers are printed and distributed across the UK every day, “the reality is that print readership has been in decline for some years now, and the sector has come under increasing pressure to better align capacity with demand.”
“I believe this joint venture is a genuinely exciting solution which sets out a long-term sustainable future for the newspaper printing industry, clients and the national daily newspaper ecosystem in the UK,” Barker added.
The proposal would retain the three current Newsprinters sites in Hertfordshire, Merseyside and Glasgow, and would potentially mean the closure of DMG Media sites in Thurrock and Dinnington.
DMG Media would retain ownership of the Carn print site in Northern Ireland which is unaffected by this proposal and will operate as normal.