Daily Mirror owner Reach PLC (LON:RCH) has confirmed it is in talks to buy some of the titles put up for sale by JPI Media – the newspaper group behind the i and hundreds of local papers, including the Yorkshire Post.
Overnight reports suggested Reach was interested in acquiring most of JPI, which used to be known as Johnston until last year when it was taken over by creditors who put it up for sale.
Exclusive: Reach, the Express and Mirror owner, has joined the auction of JPI Media, publisher of the i and The Scotsman, by submitting an indicative bid for the business. A deal would accelerate the consolidation of the UK’s embattled newspaper industry. https://t.co/e8g9mXB05C
— Mark Kleinman (@MarkKleinmanSky) July 17, 2019
“The board of Reach notes the recent media speculation and confirms that it is in the early stages of discussions in relation to acquiring certain of JPI Media's assets,” the company said in a brief statement on Thursday morning.
Simon Fox, Reach’s chief executive, is no stranger to acquisitions. Last February, Reach, which was then known as Trinity Mirror, snapped up the Express and Star national papers and the OK! gossip magazine from media tycoon Richard Desmond.
The new additions helped operating profits jump to £145.6mln last year, compared with £124.7mln in 2017.
Should Reach and JPI end up merging, it would create a huge portfolio of local news brands, including The Scotsman, Manchester Evening News, Yorkshire Post and the Daily Record.
Reach shares were up 3.1% to 83.5p on Thursday morning.