UK newspaper publishers look to consolidate in print battle

johnston-press-logoOn Sunday, Johnston Press completed a deal that has puzzled many observers of the UK’s shrinking newspaper industry.

While the publisher of more than 200 regional papers has in recent years focused on expanding its online offerings, it is taking a step back into print, buying the “i”, a national newspaper with no website.

The £24m purchase — from The Independent’s Russian owners Alexander and Evgeny Lebedev — comes at a torrid time for the UK press. Last month, The Guardian unveiled plans to cut a tenth of its workforce in an attempt to stem its losses, while The Independent stopped printing its newspaper.