A regional daily has been told to move out of its home of almost 50 years to make way for a music company.

Staff at the Leicester Mercury were told yesterday that the landlords of its Mercury Place headquarters had given the newspaper six months’ notice to vacate.

The Mercury, now owned by Trinity Mirror, has already begun searching for a new home in the city.

A new music company is set to take over Mercury Place with the creation of 200 new jobs.

The company, a joint venture between PRS for Music and Phonographic Performance Ltd, is being launched to license premises so that they can play music.

It has taken a lease on two floors in Mercury Place, pictured below, including one currently occupied by 72 Mercury staff, and plans to move in on 1 July next year.

It is understood the building is operated by property advisers Helix on behalf of national newspaper publisher DMGT, which previously owned the Mercury via its regional subsidiary Northcliffe Media.

Staff were told of the move in an email from Mercury publisher David Simms.

It reads: “The purpose of this note is to inform you that the landlords have issued 6 month notice to vacate floor 2 of Mercury place.

“We have been asked to vacate the entire 2nd floor by the end of March 2017.

“Our tenancy of the first floor is currently unaffected by these changes, however we will need to review and explore all options for future premises.

“Group facilities are talking to a number of commercial agents with regard to identifying available office space in the city and I will keep you posted on progress, as and when we have anything to communicate.”

Mayor of Leicester Sir Peter Soulsby said: “The Leicester Mercury is an important part of Leicester life and an important part of people’s understanding of what is going on in their community.

“While the media may be changing it is important that the Leicester Mercury will be at the heart of the city’s life for decades to come.”