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Regional press groups to merge as Archant is sold to Newsquest

Henry Faure WalkerArchant has been sold to fellow publisher Newsquest in a deal which will create the UK’s second largest regional publishing group, it was announced today.

Newsquest announced that it has completed the acquisition of Archant Community Media Ltd from the private equity firm Rcapital, which had owned the Archant business since September 2020.

Archant’s news brands include the Eastern Daily Press (EDP), the East Anglia Daily Times, Norwich Evening News, and Ipswich Star, along with a suite of County Life magazines.

No figure has been put on the value of the deal but it is believed to be in the region of £10m.

The sale had been on the cards since 8 February when it emerged that Newsquest had entered exclusive talks with Archant over the possible merger.

Archant had been put up for sale the previous months, less than 18 months after it was bought by London-based investment firm Rcapital.

Newsquest chief executive Henry Faure-Walker, pictured, said: “We’re  really  looking  forward  to  working  with  the  Archant  team  who  have  done  a phenomenal job rebuilding the business after it went into administration 18 months ago.

“The Archant strategy focused on building out digital marketing solutions and digital subscriptions is closely aligned with our own, and the additional scale that our combination brings will greatly assist Archant’s local news and Life brands in building a stronger future.”

Archant CEO Lorna Willis commented: “By bringing the best of Archant and Newsquest together we have the opportunity to lead the way in building an exciting future for regional media, a future that speaks to growth, innovation and sustainability, built on quality local journalism.”

Archant employs 760 staff and its head office is in Norwich.   It is currently marketing unused space at its offices at Prospect House but hopes to remain there or at another location in the city.

Ash Reek, Archant Chairman, added: “Archant’s management team, led by Lorna Willis (CEO) and Nick Steven-Jones (CFO/COO), should be very proud of what they achieved over the past 18 months.

“With the support of Rcapital, they have formed a unique partnership with the courage and confidence to successfully transform this business.

“The working relationship has been fantastic from the outset and the progress we have made in a relatively short period is extremely impressive.

“I wish them every success for the future as they move into their next phase of Archant’s long and celebrated history.”

The deal is unlikely to face any regulatory obstacles with only a small amount of geographical overlap between the respective patches of the two publishers.

The biggest areas of overlap are in North Essex, where Archant’s East Anglian Daily Times is in competition with a number of Newsquest titles, and North and East London where both companies have well-established weeklies.

Both companies own titles in Somerset,  but their print circulation areas there do not technically overlap, with Archant’s North Somerset Times based mainly around Nailsea and Portishead while Newsquest’s Somerset County Gazette mainly covers Taunton.

And although until recently both companies had print titles circulating in the Hertfordshire towns of St Albans and Harpenden – Archant’s Herts Advertiser and Newsquest’s St Albans and Harpenden Review – the latter has been online-only since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The aquisition of the four East Anglian daily titles gives Newsquest a powerful presence across most regions of the UK.

It already operates national news brands in Scotland and Wales and also has daily titles in the North East, North West, Yorkshire, the West Midlands and the South.

Newsquest and Archant – the areas where current local news patches overlap

St Albans and Harpenden, Hertfordshire

Archant: Herts Advertiser
Newsquest: St Albans & Harpenden Review

North/East London

Archant: Barking & Dagenham Post, Brentwood Recorder, Docklands & East London Advertiser, Hackney Gazette, Ilford Recorder, Newham Recorder, Romford Recorder, Wanstead & Woodford Recorder

Newsquest: East London and West Essex Guardian Series, Epping Forest Guardian.

North Essex and Suffolk

Archant: Dunmow Broadcast, East Anglian Daily Times, Saffron Walden Reporter, West Suffolk Mercury.

Newsquest: Braintree & Witham Times, Clacton Gazette, Colchester Gazette, Essex County Standard, Essex Echo, Halstead Gazette, Harwich and Manningtree Standard, Maldon and Burnham Standard.