Johnston Press : Completion of the acquisition of i

Johnston Press plc

Completion of the acquisition of the business and certain assets of i

Johnston Press plc ('Johnston Press') is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of the business and certain assets of i from Independent Print Limited (the 'Acquisition').

The Acquisition was originally announced on 12 February 2016.

Ashley Highfield, Chief Executive of Johnston Press said,

'This is a transformational acquisition for Johnston Press and an important step towards delivering our long-term strategy. i is a highly regarded newspaper with a clear market position and a loyal readership. By joining with Johnston Press the combined circulation will be equal to 9% of national daily circulation, making us the fourth largest player in the market. This enhanced reach represents a significant growth opportunity for Johnston Press in terms of national print and advertising revenue. It also rebalances our revenues towards less volatile circulation revenues.

With our considerable digital experience the combination of Johnston Press and i will also allow us to grow digital audiences and revenues through the creation of inews.co.uk.

We have a great new team in place at i under the editorial leadership of Oly Duff and look forward to working with them as we deliver the next phase of Johnston Press' strategy.'

For further information please contact:

Johnston Press
Ashley Highfield, Chief Executive Officer	020 7612 2601
David King, Chief Financial Officer	020 7612 2602
Bell Pottinger
Dan de Belder	020 3772 2561
Panmure Gordon (Sponsor and Joint Broker)
Dominic Morley / Andrew Potts / Alina Vaskina (Corporate Finance) Charles Leigh-Pemberton (Corporate Broking)	020 7886 2500
Liberum (Joint Broker)
Neil Patel	020 3100 2000
Ingenious Corporate Finance (Financial Adviser)
Toby Ramsden	020 7319 4159
Graham Smith	020 7319 4162