DMGT cuts 8 per cent of regional staff

The publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday said it had slashed its regional newspaper workforce by another 8 per cent in the past quarter as revenues and circulation continued to fall.

Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGT) reported 332 consumer media job losses for the three months to 2 January, mainly across Northcliffe Media, which includes about 100 regional titles.

The blow came as Northcliffe suffered a 6 per cent drop in ad revenues and 3 per cent fall in circulation during a difficult three months for the newspaper sector. The fall was maintained in January, down 6 per cent year on year.

Its national newspaper division, Associated Newspapers, saw a better quarter, despite taking a hit from the snow in December, as underlying advertising sales rose by 5 per cent. However, growth slowed to 2 per cent in January.

December was a difficult month for the newspaper industry, with the snowfall causing widespread circulation declines.

ABC circulation figures for December showed a 3.3 per cent month-on-month decline for the Daily Mail and a 1.7 per cent fall for its Sunday sister title. Group-wide underlying revenues rose 5 per cent to £497m in the first quarter. Its Associated division saw print ad revenues rise 3 per cent and digital business surge 73 per cent.