Smiths News, the UK news wholesaler and a leading provider of early morning end to end supply chain solutions, has announced that it has successfully secured a transformational long term contract with News UK & Ireland Limited, publisher of ‘The Sun’, ‘The Times’ and ‘The Sunday Times’.
The new agreement is on enhanced commercial terms for Smiths News and includes an expansion of the distribution territories in which the company is appointed as News UK’s exclusive wholesale distributor, thereby effectively securing national distribution of News UK’s titles across all of Great Britain, to take effect from July 2027 and an extension in the contract term of the appointment through to July 2037.
The contract sets out certain conditions, transitional milestones and obligations to be satisfied ahead of July 2027, key to which will be the establishment of an expanded national footprint capable of servicing the wholesale distribution for all relevant industry stakeholders.
Jonathan Bunting, chief executive officer of Smiths News, commented: ‘We are delighted to announce the extension and expansion of our partnership with News UK through to 2037.
‘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.
‘Smiths News has a long and distinguished record in print distribution and industry leading service. Today’s announcement marks a significant milestone in securing a sustainable future for print news distribution, and reflects our shared commitment to supporting the industry for years to come.’