Regional newspaper and magazine publisher Archant has announced a wide-ranging restructure of its operations in a bid to more “customer-centric.”
The group’s four daily titles in East Anglia along with its London newspapers and all its operations in Kent are to form part of a new trading division, to be headed by the current Archant Lifestyle managing director, Miller Hogg.
The other main trading division will be headed by the current Archant London MD Will Hattam and will comprise most of the group’s county magazines, its London magazines, consumer and specialist magazines, the weddings’ business and its newspapers in the South West.
Johnny Hustler, whose role as MD of Archant Anglia division disappears in the restructure, will head another new business unit, Archant Marketing Services, which will include the group’s client publishing business, Archant Dialogue.
The changes, which will take effect on 1 January, were announced by group chief executive Adrian Jeakings in a letter to staff today.
He said: “We have made great progress this year in turning around the financial results of Archant. We have a clear vision, we have remarkable creativity and we produce fantastic products.
“Our challenges however continue: even with the great work that we’ve all done this year, and the progress that we’ve made, our revenues are still lower than last year.
“To change this is going to require us to act differently and, in particular, execute change better. To do this we need to change our structure and my leadership team.
Added Adrian: “We will move from three trading divisions to two which will build on the obvious success of the market-facing divisions that we created in 2011.
“I am confident that there is a significant opportunity to grow our business through offering a broader range of services to our clients in the communities we serve.
The restructure will also bring together all of the group’s digital development and product management under a single digital organisation.
However responsibility for local digital sales and content creation in each market will remain in the appropriate trading division.
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You don’t mention it here, but Archant’s chairman Richard Jewson has also announced he is stepping down at the end of the year. No mention here either of the group’s venture into local TV. Mustard TV in Norwich was supposed to go to air by now. What’s happened to that plan? I wish them well with their new team.
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The Richard Jewson story was covered here yesterday: http://htfpnew.adaptive.co.uk/2013/news/archant-chairman-to-step-down-after-17-years/
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I thought Hustler was leaving at year end as reported here some months back? and whats happening to the other non daily papers in the Norfolk Suffolk Cambs group,there`s no mention of them here?
As for Mustard tv,I assume they’re too embarrassed to launch it other than on their own websites,I believe Hustler minor works on it,or did until he too jumps ship
worrying times for those that are left there,bet there`s a lot of cvs being updated in that neck of the woods right now
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canarytractorboy is right – it was announced that Johnny Hustler was retiring “at the end of the year” back in May, the month after the Archant AGM provided a kick in the canaries for all shareholders.
So, is Mr H staying in the newly announced role, having changed his mind, or what?
It all sounds like a bit of tinkering by the re-arrangement of a few deckchairs.
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Its almost too comical for words,more and more pandemonium at Archant,more sideways moves,more pack shuffling ,more and more unhappy worried employees and more crash bang wallop quick fixes announced ‘ in a letter to staff ‘
Gone are the days of looking people in the eyes and telling them from the horses mouth with a staff briefing then one assumes?
lets face it,
Restructure=Redundancies
Efficiencies= Redundancies
Execute change better= Redundancies
To do this we need to change our structure= Redundancies
and my leadership team= Redundancies but not at my level
or,will Mr Jeakings come out and reassure the staff that there WILL be no redundancies as a result of this latest re structure?
Is no one accountable?or is it just a case of making cost savings elsewhere whilst those responsible stay to wreak havoc another day?
Interestingly one of Mr Jeakings key phrases from the HTFP piece in the EDP Business news piece has been removed ; “our revenues are still lower than last year”
Presumably the stack it high and sell it cheap tactic is not working as the papers have been hugely devalued by god awful pages crammed full of cheap adverts with the odd puff hidden in amongst them all,but whilst they have the monopoly in their areas i guess they are quite content to grab whetever money they can from those local businesses and readers that remain
one can only wish the staff who cling on in there the very best of luck,theyre certainly going to need it
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My Favourite quote is “Build on the obvious success” Success hasn’t been very apparant let alone “Obvious” at Archant for some time! ABC disaster accross the board, a tax enquiry, revenues collapse, editorial quality melt-down and a failed vanity project in Mustard TV… quite where are you looking Mr Jeakings?
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Have to agree with most of that. The Mustard TV project is quite the embarrassment, utterly appalling.
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How can this restructure possibly be ”customer-centric” someone loves buzz words.
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