UK: Independent moves in with Daily Mail publishers

Posted by Lauren Drablier on November 28, 2008 at 1:18 PM

According to Press Gazette, under a deal signed today, the Independent titles are relocating to share offices with the publishers of the Daily Mail in the early part of 2009. The Independent titles will share back office functions with the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, Metro and Evening Standard.

A statement released by IN&M stated that, "The two groups' editorial, management and commercial operations will remain entirely separate. The Independent and Independent on Sunday will remain under the full ownership of INM."

According to Independent managing director Simon Kelner the reason for the move is for "the chance to share office space, initially, and then, further down the line, explore the possibilities of sharing other back-office services."

Kelner went on to state, "This initiative, together with the restructuring we are in the midst of at the moment, means we can safeguard the future of The Independent and The Independent on Sunday as independent titles."

Ivan Fallon, IN&M chief executive believes that "this move will transform the prospects of the Independent titles. We will have immediate cost savings when we move offices and take maximum advantage of the resources and services offered to us by our partners at Associated to create better and more commercially viable newspapers while staying true to the editorial values we cherish."

The announcement comes after a series of changes to the Independent, including a number of job cuts in order to cut costs.

Source: Press Gazette