The sale of independent weekly the Nottingham and Long Eaton topper to Nottingham Post publisher Northcliffe Media has today been finalised, a month after it was given the go-ahead by competition watchdogs.

Despite fears voiced by the National Union of Journalists, Northcliffe has previously made clear it wants to develop the free title and has “no plans” to close it.

Chief executive Steve Auckland said today:  “This is our first acquisition since I joined the company and demonstrates Northcliffe’s desire to grow its businesses. The Topper is a great free newspaper and we’re really pleased to have its team working with us.”

Topper managing director Alice Hall added:  “This is an exciting step for the Topper. As part of a larger group we will have more opportunities to serve the Nottingham business community and to operate as a modern media business.”