DMGT in negotiations over sale of Scottish regional papers

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by Daniel Farey-Jones

March 13, 2006

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DMGT in negotiations over sale of Scottish regional papers

LONDON – The Daily Mail & General Trust is in talks with Johnston Press and another party about the £120m sale of its Scottish papers, including Aberdeen Press & Journal, belonging to its Northcliffe Newspapers regional division.

According to The Sunday Times, which also tipped Newsquest as an interested party, DMGT is ready to agree a sale within weeks.

Johnston and Newsquest showed interest in the entire Northcliffe group before DMGT aborted the auction because offers had not come up to its expectations of around £1.3bn.

Northcliffe's Scottish titles are the Aberdeen Press & Journal, one of Scotland's biggest-selling daily titles with a circulation of 84,908, as well as the Aberdeen Evening Express and free paper, the Aberdeen Citizen.

At almost 85,000 copies, the Aberdeen Press & Journal outsells The Herald on 76,384 and The Scotsman on 65,165.

In December, Johnston Press bought The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday, the Edinburgh Evening News and the Edinburgh Herald & Post series from the Barclay Brothers' Press Holdings for £160m.

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