Archant operating profit more than doubles to £8.2m

Archant, the regional media business, more than doubled its operating profit in 2010 to £8.2m, buoyed by cost cutting, digital growth and a rise in newspaper subscriptions.

Richard Jewson: chairman of Archant
Richard Jewson: chairman of Archant

In a preliminary statement to shareholders, Richard Jewson, chairman of Archant, said group operating profit for the year was £8.2m in 2010 – up 157% when compared with an operating profit of £3.2m during 2009.

The company attributed its performance to circulation growth of its newspapers, cost cutting and growth of its digital business.

The publisher of 25 weekly titles, including the Hackney Gazette and Ilford Recorder, is a private company and does not publish a detailed balance sheet or include a pre-tax profit figure.

The figures that it did disclose revealed group turnover was £139.3m, down by 1.9% year on year from £142.0m in 2009.

Newspaper like-for-like revenue was £92.6m, down 5.9% year on year, which Archant attributed in part to a reduction in public-sector advertising.

Archant's magazine division reported revenues of £44.9m, up 3% year on year and helped by a 9.9% year on year rise in subscription copy sales, representing more than half the paid circulation.

Jewson said: "The impact of digital media on our traditional business has grown rapidly since broadband became mainstream, and the economic downturn, which started in 2008, has served to accelerate that pace of change.

"Archant has faced the challenges presented by diversifying and repositioning its portfolio of media assets, by pursuing efficiencies, and by accelerating its business development activities to take advantage of the opportunities created."

Last month, figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABCs), revealed Archant's Norwich-based Eastern Daily Press and Evening News were two of only three daily regional papers to see circulation rises – up 0.4% and 0.5% year-on-year respectively.

Jewson labelled Archant newspapers' ABC results, which included rises for half of its paid-for weeklies outside London, a "notable achievement" and called the two Norwich daily papers the "best-performing regional newspapers".

Archant's annual general meeting for its shareholders, which include members of staff, will take place at 12pm on Wednesday 13 April, at the John Innes Centre, on the Norwich Research Park.

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