Associated announces new five-year print contract

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Thursday 24 June 2004

Associated Newspapers has agreed new printing arrangements for its principal newspaper supplements and magazines, with effect from June 2005.

The new five year contracts will be for printing and finishing 2.6 million copies weekly of ‘Night & Day’ and 2.6 million copies of ‘You Magazine’ for The Mail on Sunday, and 3.5 million copies of ‘Weekend’ for The Daily Mail. The Polestar Group will become the major supplier, replacing Quebecor World which has produced these magazines since 1995.

Murdoch MacLennan, Managing Director of Associated Newspapers, said that the change in supplier was due to the enormous growth in the circulations of the Associated Newspaper titles over the past nine years and the increasing complexity of the products. This has resulted in the need to move to gravure production for ‘Night & Day’, and in splitting the ‘Weekend’ run, which can at times be close to 4 million copies, between two printing plants within the Polestar Group. The majority of the magazines will, for the first time, be polywrapped by the suppliers, creating an improved product in response to both advertising demand and trends in the retail supply chain.

Mr MacLennan said that the move in no way reflected on Quebecor World, which has been the primary supplier to the Group for the past nine years and has shown a very high level of commitment and reliability over that time. He commented “We have the greatest confidence and respect for our colleagues in Corby, but we needed to change the printing process to gain flexibility, and to polywrap to improve the overall package. This required heavy investment on new plant within the UK”.

Associated’s decision to move to the gravure production process for ‘Night & Day’ will result in major capital expenditure on new gravure printing, finishing and polywrapping plant for the Polestar Group. In addition, the transfer of ‘Weekend’ will require investment in new web offset printing plant.

For more information call Corporate Affairs: 0207 938 6681