The contract will run until 2037
A Swindon-headquartered newspaper and magazine wholesaler has signed a 10-year delivery deal with the publisher of the Sunday Times and the Sun.
Smiths News said the “transformational” long-term contract with News UK & Ireland would see it distribute the publisher’s titles across “all of Great Britain” from July 2027.
The contract, which is worth an extra £125m a year in revenue to the business, sets out certain conditions that will need to satisfied ahead of next year, Smiths News said, including expanding its national footprint.
“We are delighted to announce the extension and expansion of our partnership with News UK through to 2037,” said Smiths News chief executive, Jonathan Bunting.
“This deepens a relationship spanning more than 50 years, securing a reliable and sustainable national route to market for retailers and consumers – and enabling us to freeze delivery service charges for our retail customers for the life of the contract.”
Mr Bunting said the deal marked a “significant milestone” in securing “a sustainable future” for print news distribution.
“[It] reflects our shared commitment to supporting the industry for years to come,” he added.
Smiths News expects to incur one-off implementation costs during the 2027 financial year as it expands it footprint. The network growth will be delivered with existing cash resources and financing arrangement, the company said.
Further guidance on the financial effects of the contract will be provided by the board at the time of its preliminary financial results on November 4.
The board confirmed that it intends to maintain ordinary dividend guidance for the 2026 and 2027 financial years at or above the current consensus estimates of 5.2p per share.
The news comes four months after the UK pensions regulator (TPR) warned Smiths News is could face a financial claim over the underfunded pension scheme of collapsed firm Tuffnells Parcels Express.
TPR told Smiths News it was considering issuing a so-called financial support direction against the firm, which would give it the power to require financial backing for an underfunded pension scheme, even where there has been no wrongdoing.
Smiths News owned Tuffnells Parcels Express for nearly six years until May 2020, before Tuffnells called in administrators in June 2023, with its pension scheme left with a large deficit.







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