Daily Record publisher to shut Glasgow print plant

Newspaper publisher Reach has announced plans to close its printing plant in Glasgow with the loss of about 100 jobs.

The company said the Saltire site in Cardonald would wind down operations in the spring, with production moved to its facility in Oldham.

The move will see some of the brand's Scottish titles, which include the Daily Record and Sunday Mail, printed in England.

The Unite union said the decision had come as an "utter shock" to the workforce.

A consultation with affected employees is under way, Reach said.

The firm is also closing its Watford site, with work there being moved to the Newsprinters facility, based in Broxbourne, Hertforshire, as part of an "outsourcing agreement".

A smaller portion of Reach's Scottish titles will be printed by DC Thomson in Dundee as part of a "consolidation" of print operations.

'Strategic move'

Reach chief executive Piers North said the move was a "proactive and strategic move," adding the future of the company was "firmly rooted in digital".

He said: "Print remains an important part of our business, and will continue to drive considerable circulation revenue."

"By refining our print operations, we can focus our attention on content and audiences - the core driver of our business - and accelerate our digital growth opportunities such as our digital subscriptions offering."

The Saltire printing site was opened in 1994 by then-Labour leader and future Prime Minister Tony Blair to coincide with the Daily Record's centenary.

Reach prints 17 of its regional newspapers at the facility, alongside the Scottish editions of the Daily Express and the Daily Star.

It also runs the Edinburgh and Glasgow Live websites.

The company announced a raft of redundancies across its print and online titles in September last year.

Unite industrial officer, Norman King, said the plans had been announced with "no warning".

He added: "There is minimal detail on timeframes and there have been no discussions involving Unite on a potential closure.

"We have urgently called for meetings with Reach plc on whether anything can be done to reverse this decision.

"It would be a bitter irony for the workers and the Scottish printing press if the closure goes ahead only to see flagship publications such as the Daily Record and Sunday Mail, printed in England."

When the Cardonald printing plant was opened, the Daily Record sold some 700,000 copies every day.

Few then would have imagined how newspaper sales would decline dramatically.

Today the Record's circulation stands at around 37,000. The Scottish Daily Express sells around 10,000.

The broad trend has been the same across the industry.

The focus for many established publishers is now on their digital products.

It was perhaps inevitable that Reach would look at consolidating its printing operations.

Put simply, the plant now produces a small fraction of the number of papers it was designed to handle.

There is also a certain irony that those with long memories may recognise.

In 1974, the Scottish Daily Express moved printing from Glasgow to Manchester.

The Record, which was then its fierce rival, gained sales as a result.

Today they are sister papers with the same owner, a position which would once have been unthinkable but also a reflection on the huge fall in traditional print sales.