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Regional dailies to move to new offices next summer

Two regional dailies are set to move to new offices next summer in what their publisher is hailing a “significant investment” in its business.

The Archant-owned East Anglian Daily Times and Ipswich Star are to move from their offices in Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, to a new base at Portman House, Princes Street.

Contracts have already been exchanged on the new purchase of the new building, with the old one set to be sold to developers.

The new building, pictured below, will house 100 Archant employees and is to undergo a full refurbishment ready for an office move in late summer 2016.

Portman House

Archant chief executive Jeff Henry said: “This investment affirms our commitment to Ipswich and to our Suffolk publishing interests through the purchase of the landmark building, Portman House.

“Situated in the heart of the emerging business sector within Ipswich, it is the ideal home for our portfolio of Suffolk brands, and is another proof point of our commitment to engaging with communities across the UK.”

Archant has agreed to sell the Lower Brook Street premises to Montague Asset Management LLP, owned by Ipswich developers The Churchmanor Estates Company plc

Both contracts are expected to be completed early in 2016.

Stephen Clark, mnaging partner of Montague Asset Management LLP said: “We very much look forward to developing the Lower Brook Street site.

“We see this as an excellent opportunity to use our knowledge and expertise to assist in the redevelopment and rejuvenation of a major town centre site.”

5 comments

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  • December 22, 2015 at 8:09 am
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    Sorry Jeff, just remind me how moving premises in Ipswich is ” point of our commitment to engaging with communities across the UK.”?
    Improve the dreadful copy sales on the papers, the quality of the newspaper content and invest locally in branch office staff and then we might take you seriously

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  • December 22, 2015 at 9:50 am
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    Selling off the family silver. Will Prospect House be next? The Norwich HQ is a prime piece of city centre real estate. Half the building is unused anyway.
    A fair few years back there was talk of relocating to an out-of-town business park, didn’t happen… but is the time right now?

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  • December 22, 2015 at 12:13 pm
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    The “new” building, which as the picture shows, is an “old” building, could work for them. It is next to the footie ground and a large car park. Good to see a solid, well-built place get put to good use and not stand empty but that guff from the chief exec is embarrassing. Whoever wrote that for him needs to be fired. Wonder if the paper’s top bods will lose their free car parking spaces? Anyway, what’s missing here are the numbers, which will come out eventually in the accounts. The Lower Brook St complex once housed the printing and distribution operations and are no longer fit for purpose but the deal will have netted a tidy sum, more than enough to cover the losses of a doomed excursion into local tv.

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  • December 22, 2015 at 12:49 pm
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    Got to be on the cards @archantlifer
    It’s all about scraping together every penny and cutting costs and the building in the city is ( apart from Mustard tv) the biggest drain on costs and is the obvious one to try to offload.
    With downsizing and reducing staff numbers the out of town print centre has ample space to accommodate those that need it and with mobile working and hot desking the obvious txt step it would make sound financial sense.
    if they analysed how many managers they have, what they actually contribute and how many they actually need there’s big savings to be made in one fell swoop

    2016 will see some interesting developments
    Happy new year

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