A regional publisher is to give the job of printing most of its newspapers to a rival group.

National World has announced a deal with Newsquest that will see the latter print all of the former’s English and Scottish papers and lead to a change in deadline and off-stone times.

As a result, titles will no longer be printed at APH Dinnington, in South Yorkshire, which was owned by National World forerunners Johnston Press and JPIMedia until being sold to DMGT in 2020, as well as APH’s Thurrock site.

The company’s Scottish titles will also transfer to Newsquest from DC Thomson’s Dundee plant, where they were previously printed. Newsquest owns print plants in Deeside, Glasgow, Oxford and Weymouth.

National World director of content sales Tina Callcutt said: “We are delighted to announce that we have partnered with Newsquest for the production of our Scotland and England newsbrands from [the fourth quarter of] 2023.

“We will be working with our local teams over the coming weeks to make the required adjustments needed in preparation of transitioning to these new arrangements.

“It is with regret that we will be exiting our long standing partnerships with APH Dinnington and Thurrock, and DC Thomson, Dundee, and our thanks go to the production teams at these sites who have provided a high level of service to National World over a number of years.”

In an internal memo to staff, seen  by HTFP, National World added: “As with any change to print contracts there will be some adjustments to deadline and off stone times, and we will be working with our local teams over the coming weeks to make the required adjustments needed in preparation of transitioning to these new arrangements.”

APH will continue to print most of National World’s Northern Irish titles including the Belfast News Letter and Derry Journal at Carn, another plant formerly owned by JPIMedia.

Interpress, Northern Ireland, will retain production of the Newry Reporter, Banbridge Chronicle and Farm Week.

A Newsquest spokesman said: “We look forward to working with National World.”