Trinity Mirror plc

Interim Management Statement

2012-05-10T06:00:00Z

Trinity Mirror plc is today issuing an Interim Management Statement covering the 17 weeks of trading to April 29 and describing the Group's financial position and performance, updated to the latest practicable date.

View full statement

Sly Bailey to step down as Chief Executive

2012-05-04T09:59:18Z

Trinity Mirror Board Change

Trinity Mirror plc ("Company/Group") announces that Sly Bailey is to step down as Chief Executive of the Group. She has today given the Board her notice and is expected to leave at the end of the year.

By December she will have served almost 10 years with the Company during which she has led it through the worst and longest economic downturn the country has seen. Despite the challenging environment the actions she has taken, together with her team, have ensured the Company has consistently delivered robust profits. Importantly, Sly has also established the basis of a digital strategy for the Group going forward.

The Group will now publicly start the search for her successor.

Sir Ian Gibson said "The Company and the Board are grateful to Sly for her immense contribution and leadership over an extended period and wish her well for the future."

Sly Bailey said "For the past ten years I have had the privilege of being CEO of Trinity Mirror Plc, a fascinating and all-consuming role. Newspapers are a business like no other.

"Now I feel the time has come to hand over to someone else to take up the challenge and for me to seek new challenges and opportunities elsewhere.

"My immediate priority is to continue to run the business, to deliver the best possible performance for 2012."

Enquiries:

Trinity Mirror plc

Nick Fullagar, Director Corporate Communications 020 7293 3622

Trinity Mirror to launch daily deals business

2012-03-15T07:28:19Z

Trinity Mirror is launching "happli", a nationwide daily deals business, focused on attracting and retaining loyal, long-term customers for retailers.

The launch is supported by a £10 million investment over the next two years with the business forecast to deliver net revenues of around £20 million by 2014.

The deals business represents a good strategic fit for the Group, focusing on delivering simple, high value, local and national deals directly to customers.

The sector is an increasingly important area in selling marketing solutions to small and medium size enterprises (SME). Strengthening our relationships with SME advertisers through the provision of a diversified range of digital products and services is a core strategic imperative for Trinity Mirror.

There are significant opportunities to drive new revenues from this market which was estimated to be valued at circa £100 million in 2011 and is forecast to rise to over £1 billion by 2016.

By leveraging the strengths of the Group's full portfolio, local infrastructure and existing national and local customer relationships, as well as building a dedicated expert team to develop the business, Trinity Mirror is well placed to succeed in this area.

happli has already been successfully piloted in Manchester and Newcastle and from today the business is being launched nationwide with nationally available deals and is being rolled out locally in a further three cities - Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

By the end of the year happli will have been rolled out to a further 20 cities. By early 2014 local deals will be available in over 50 cities.

The web and mobile site - www.happli.co.uk - will showcase a daily selection of handpicked great value deals and experiences. Customers will be encouraged to check prices, read reviews and share recommendations with friends via Facebook.

An experienced digital management team - led by Managing Director, Dave Raywood - is already in place and will report to Chris Ellis, Managing Director, Trinity Mirror Digital.

Dave Raywood, happli's Managing Director, said: "We have listened carefully to customers and retailers and have developed a unique proposition, which we believe is clearly differentiated and with a customer experience that is second to none.

"We are working with retailers to really understand their objectives and build winning deals that will offer real value to customers.

"Daily Deals are an increasingly important part of the marketing mix for SMEs and our deal partners will be working with them to craft promotional offers that showcase what they have to offer, delight consumers who buy them and work with the retailer to drive repeat visits and sales."

The launch is being supported by a heavyweight advertising campaign across Trinity Mirror's full portfolio, including full page ads in the Daily Mirror, Daily Record and relevant regional titles.

Dedicated online search, affiliate and social marketing activity will communicate the benefits of the service under the tagline "Live life. Live happli."

Chris Ellis, Managing Director, Trinity Mirror Digital, said: "Launching new nationwide digital brands and diversifying revenue streams is an important part of our digital growth strategy.

"happli is a new social commerce platform which delivers on both a local and national level. We are launching a well-thought-out proposition that works for consumers and retailers alike. We'll be leveraging Trinity Mirror's existing portfolio and customer relationships, as well as building new digital marketing capabilities and ultimately opening up direct-to-consumer sales on a large scale."

For more information please contact Rupert Smith on 020 7293 2885.

Trinity Mirror plc Preliminary Results

2012-03-15T07:05:00Z

Trinity Mirror plc announces the Group's Preliminary Results for the 52 weeks ended January 1, 2012.

The Financial Statement is available here

MirrorOnline - New Look, New Technologies...New Audiences

2012-02-13T10:14:51Z

Mirror Group Digital has introduced a significant refresh to the design and technology underpinning MirrorOnline.

The changes mark a great leap forward as MirrorOnline continues to evolve into a leading destination for premium news, entertainment and sport.

A bold, clean redesign with dramatically-improved navigation makes the new-look site far more intuitive to use and easier on the eye.

But just as important is the stepchange in social media and personalisation technologies at work on the site.

MirrorOnline is the first news site to integrate Rummble Lab's unique personalisation technology offering a more engaging experience to its millions of users.

These changes will accelerate the site's growth and affirm MirrorOnline's position as a major player among premium UK digital publishers.

Key changes introduced include:

• bright, clean redesign - led by an internal team working with London-based design agency &&&.

• simplified content navigation focussing on key pillars of news, sport, 3am's unique celebrity channel and lifestyle, together with a fun section of games, puzzles and interactive competitions.

• improved focus on user engagement, with a fuss-free Facebook login and easier commenting platform.

• improved projection of the Mirror's stable of star writers, including Richard Hammond, Tony Parsons, Robbie Savage, Miriam Stoppard, Barry McGuigan, Russell Grant, Tess Daly and Coleen Nolan.

• expanded sports channel - delivering the big events to the big fan with the well-established flair and breaking news of Mirror Sport.

• 3am - the Mirror's brilliant celebrity site - enjoys a complete upgrade. With extra fashion, gossip and celebrity pictures, it becomes the heart of MirrorOnline's celebrity offering.

• Rummble Labs' Recommendation Engine technology introduced across the site, allowing users to experience more of the content that matters most to them.

• better integration of our market-leading football site MirrorFootball, which recorded record audience figures this month.

Chris Ellis, Trinity Mirror's Managing Director - Digital, Nationals Division, said: "The changes mark a major step in our journey to give our millions of users, new and old, a MirrorOnline that is truly relevant to the digital generation.

"Our brilliant new design, underpinned by some of the most advanced social media and personalisation technology in the world, presents a far more engaging environment for both users and advertisers.

"Forging closer integration with leading digital media players, like Facebook, and employing new technologies from digital start-ups, like Rummble Labs, are absolutely fundamental to our plans going forward.

"Best of all this is just the start - you'll see a continual improvement to MirrorOnline in the months to come."

Matt Kelly, Publisher, Mirror Group Digital, said: "World-class news and entertainment targeted directly at people's passions has long been our publishing vision.

"We're blessed to have two stand-out brands in 3am and MirrorFootball, together with the Mirror's long-established reputation for popular, trustworthy, high-quality journalism."

For more information please contact Rupert Smith on 020 7293 2885.

Changes in Non Executive Directors

2012-02-10T09:57:07Z

The Board of Trinity Mirror plc ("the Company") announce that they have today appointed Mr Donal Smith as a non executive director with effect from 1st March 2012.

Mr Smith is Chief Executive Officer of Data Explorers a privately owned data and software company. He previously held a number of senior roles within Thomson Reuters including President and COO Thomson Financial, EMEA. Prior to that he was Managing Director of the Financial Times Electronic Publishing Division.

The Nominations Committee oversaw the search assisted by Egon Zender International before making a unanimous recommendation to the Board.

Mr Smith has notified the Company that he was an executive director of eCountries Ltd a "dot com" start up that, having failed to raise sufficient funds, entered into a voluntary arrangement with creditors in February 2001. There are no further disclosures to be made pursuant to paragraph 9.6.13R(1)-(6) of the Listing Rules.

The Company further announces that Laura Wade-Gery, a non executive director, has informed the Board that, having served two three year terms as a director and having recently joined the Board of Marks & Spencer plc, she does not wish to seek re-election for a further term and will retire from the Board at the conclusion of the Company's AGM on 10th May 2012.

Paul Vickers

Company Secretary

For further information:

Nick Fullagar

Director of Corporate Communications

020 7293 3622

Trinity Mirror Announcement

2012-02-01T16:14:37Z

Trinity Mirror has today outlined editorial restructuring proposals for its UK national titles which represent the next stage in its aim to create one of the most technologically-advanced and operationally-efficient multimedia newsrooms in Europe.

The proposals will ensure the national titles are able to meet the economic challenges facing the industry and the technological revolution changing the way that readers obtain information.

The wide-ranging plans take advantage of the company's multi-million pound investment in the ContentWatch editorial system which streamlines the production process and facilitates efficient online publishing.

ContentWatch helped transform the newsroom and, using this as a foundation, these new proposals aim to create an even more efficient multimedia operation which will ensure a successful and sustainable future for Trinity Mirror's national titles.

The proposals include:

The creation of a centralised reporting and production hub with teams working across all three titles which will allow for greater flexibility of staff working patterns over seven days.

The retention of bespoke editorial teams for each title to protect their unique identity.

The introduction of an innovative new 'peak-time resourcing' plan to improve agility and flexibility so that we can respond more efficiently to peak periods of production activity.

Editors will have access to a greater number of reporters than is currently available to them on an individual basis and shorter shifts in production will maintain staffing levels in peak periods.

An increase in the range and depth of regional coverage. A number of additional district reporters will be recruited as the national titles invest in more reporters in major regional markets.

Further development of our outsourcing capabilities with an increase in the number of pages sent to the Press Association for subediting.

Richard Wallace will take on management responsibility for the new content and production hub in addition to his responsibilities as Editor of the Daily Mirror. All three national newspaper Editors, including Tina Weaver for the Sunday Mirror and Lloyd Embley for The People, will continue to report to Mark Hollinshead, Managing Director of Trinity Mirror's Nationals division.

As a consequence of these changes it is anticipated that there will be a reduction in headcount of up to 75 editorial staff, comprising both full and part time staff, and the aim is to make as many of the redundancies as possible by voluntary means.

Trinity Mirror has entered into a period of consultation with all affected staff and their representatives.

Trinity Mirror acquires Communicator Corp

2012-01-04T11:00:00Z

Trinity Mirror plc is pleased to announce the acquisition of The Communicator Corporation Limited "Communicator Corp" - an industry-leading digital communications company specialising in providing highly-targeted and sophisticated email and mobile communications. The company reported revenues of £3.5 million and operating profit of £1.0 million in its latest reported accounts to the year ended 31 March 2011 and was acquired for a net cash consideration of £8.0 million.

Communicator Corp delivers digital communications in more than 178 countries in over 30 languages. Its broad client base spans many industry sectors and includes Adidas, All Saints, Co-operative Bank, Mitchells & Butlers and Scottish & Southern Energy. Trinity Mirror Digital Recruitment is also an existing customer. Communicator Corp is based in Sunderland.

This acquisition furthers Trinity Mirror's aim to build a network of digital marketing services businesses. In 2008 Trinity Mirror acquired Rippleffect, a digital marketing services specialist offering website design and development, e-commerce, social media and on-line advertising. Communicator Corp perfectly complements the Rippleffect business by adding email and mobile communications to the services currently offered.

Sly Bailey, CEO Trinity Mirror PLC said: "Increasingly we're seeing that, in addition to print and website advertising, clients want help in areas such as website design, search engine optimisation, e-mail marketing, social media and web analytics. The addition of Communicator Corp to our stable of digital assets will enhance our offering and complement the digital marketing services currently offered by Rippleffect.

"Personalisation and targeted content are increasingly sought after by marketers in a multi-channel world and Communicator Corp is recognised in the industry for its ability to meet this demand.

"This investment is another demonstration of our strategic intent to drive more diversified revenue streams across multiple media channels and accelerate our growth into a multimedia business."

Chris Wilds, Managing Director of Communicator Corp, said "We're delighted to be joining Trinity Mirror as it will position us for a successful future as part of one of the UK's largest multimedia publishers."

Trinity Mirror creates Scotland's biggest publishing business

2011-12-06T11:11:57Z

Trinity Mirror announces today that it is combining the Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail and sister company Scottish and Universal Newspapers to form Scotland's biggest publishing business - Media Scotland.

The new company comprises the iconic national titles the Daily Record and Sunday Mail, a market leading portfolio of 20 local newspapers including the Ayrshire Post and Stirling Observer, Business Insider magazine; an events division and 36 vibrant local and commercial websites. Media Scotland will deliver unrivalled scale and reach across the Scottish market reaching 1.5 million readers each weekday and 1.1 million readers on a Sunday. In addition it will reach 2.6 million unique digital users a month.

Mark Hollinshead, Managing Director, Trinity Mirror Nationals, who will extend his responsibilities to include Managing Director of Media Scotland, commented: "The creation of Media Scotland denotes the start of a dynamic new era in Scottish media. With our unique blend of national and local content, the combined reach of our portfolio of print and digital brands will deliver unrivalled coverage across the Scottish market. I look forward to working with our new top team in the exciting times ahead."

The new management structure for Media Scotland, includes two key appointments:

• Allan Rennie is appointed as Editor in Chief of Media Scotland, with responsibility for all titles and editorial web sites. Allan was previously Editorial Development Director for Trinity Mirror Nationals

• Bill Steven, is appointed Business Development Director for Media Scotland. He was previously Managing Director of S&UN

As a result of this reorganisation Bruce Waddell, Editor-in-Chief of the Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail is leaving the business after eight successful years.

Bruce Waddell, commented: "I've had eight great years at the helm of the Daily Record and Sunday Mail but it's time for change. I now look forward to a fresh challenge and exploring new opportunities."

For further information:

Nick Fullagar

Director of Corporate Communications

020 7293 3622

Appointment of Non Executive Director and Chairman Designate

2011-12-05T07:44:34Z

The Board of Trinity Mirror plc ("the Company") announce that they have today

appointed Mr David Grigson as a non executive director and Chairman Designate

with effect from 1st January 2012. Mr Grigson will become Chairman on 3rd August

2012 after the announcement of the Company's interim results. Sir Ian Gibson will

retire as a director and as Chairman on that day.

Mr Grigson, a Chartered Accountant, was formerly Chief Financial Officer of Reuters

Group plc and prior to that of EMAP plc. He is currently Chairman of Creston plc

and a non executive director of Standard Life plc, and Ocado Group plc. He was

previously a non executive director of Carphone Warehouse plc

There are no disclosures to be made pursuant to paragraph 9.6.13R(1)-(6) of the

Listing Rules.

The Nominations Committee led by the Senior Independent Director Gary Hoffman

oversaw the search assisted by Egon Zender International before making a

unanimous recommendation to the Board.

Paul Vickers

Company Secretary

For further information:

Nick Fullagar

Director of Corporate Communications

020 7293 3622

Liverpool Daily Post to switch to weekly

2011-11-25T10:27:50Z

Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales has announced that the Liverpool Daily Post is to switch from daily to weekly frequency in the New Year.

The new weekly newspaper is to be published every Thursday and will deliver over 100 pages a week with particular emphasis on its traditional core content of business, sports, the arts and politics. In addition it will continue to provide daily news updates through its website www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk.

Post Editor Mark Thomas said today: ''We are lucky to be custodians of one of the great brands in journalism and we've been serving our city for 156 years. This change sets us up to serve it for the next 156 - in print and online and through whichever channels readers seek to receive it.''

Journalists are beginning work on dummy designs for the new product which has 'The Liverpool Post' as a working title.

''We've just completed research which proves yet again how much people like and want our current content mix,'' Thomas explained.

"However, we appreciate that the world is changing and people's buying habits and news consumption requirements are very different.

''There is clear evidence that a bumper Post once a week, full of high-quality news, views and analysis, will be better for readers and a more appealing vehicle for advertisers.

''This move enables us to maximise brand potential in what are extraordinarily challenging times for the media industry and for business in general.''

Thomas added: ''We realise there will be many Post followers who will still want a daily update on the news. We will make sure that they get that through our website www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk which will update all news with our usual special emphasis on business, sport, the arts, and politics.

''We are also working on exciting new plans for developing the website further.''

The move from daily to weekly publication is expected to result in the loss of approximately six editorial roles from the title's Liverpool newsroom.

The change has no impact on the Liverpool Echo, which will continue to serve the needs of readers and advertisers across the city on a daily basis.

In a separate move the company has also announced that its free Liverpool weekly titles - The Bootle Times, Merseymart (South) and Star (Anfield & West Derby plus Maghull) - are to be merged into two new community newspapers - The Star and The Merseymart. These two new editions will be carried to the market within the Tuesday edition of the Liverpool Echo.

Managing Director of Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales, Warren Butcher, said: "We recognise that the proposed changes are fundamental and that they affect long-lived and much-loved brands".

''However, a change in approach is vital. Our business has been built on the ability to be proactive and to continually adapt our portfolio to reflect market conditions and changing consumer trends. We are convinced these changes will strengthen and add greater relevance to our portfolio in the long term and in turn improve the service we provide to both readers and advertisers."

Interim Management Statement

2011-11-10T07:03:32Z

Trinity Mirror plc is today issuing an Interim Management Statement covering the 17 weeks of trading to October 30 and describing the Group's financial position and performance, updated to the latest practicable date.

View full statement

Trinity Mirror plc Interim Results 2011

2011-08-12T06:00:00Z

Trinity Mirror plc announces the Group's Interim Results for the 26 weeks ended 3 July 2011.

The Financial Statement is now available to download:

2011 Interim Results Financial Statement

Daily Record and Sunday Mail Editorial Restructure

2011-06-08T15:21:10Z

The Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail has today announced the next stage of its technology-led development, which will result in the creation of one of the most technologically advanced and operationally efficient digital newsrooms in Europe.

These plans will allow the Daily Record and Sunday Mail to increase their focus on high-quality Scottish news and Scottish sport, with an editorial structure fit for purpose in this fast moving multimedia publishing environment.

The wide-ranging proposals take advantage of the company's ongoing investment in the ContentWatch editorial system which streamlines the production process and facilitates online publishing.

The plans include:

1. A new editorial structure. Live content and advance content will become a combined unit where the entire focus will be on providing the best Scottish stories and features.

2. The sharing of non-Scottish features and news with sister titles the Mirror, Sunday Mirror and The People.

3. Outsourcing the design and subbing of some features and magazine pages to a bespoke Daily Record/Sunday Mail unit at the Press Association.

It is anticipated that these changes will result in around 90 editorial job losses and the company has now entered into a period of consultation with staff.

The generation and production of Scottish news and sport pages all remain at Central Quay.

The editorial team in Scotland will be responsible for coordinating the outsourcing of pages and deciding which national stories are appropriate for a Scottish readership.

Bruce Waddell, Editor in Chief, said: "In common with all newspapers, the Daily Record and Sunday Mail are not immune from the current difficult economic conditions and our industry is experiencing unprecedented structural change.

"We have to constantly review and adapt the way we work to harness the opportunities available to us.

"Ultimately, our plan will retain what the Daily Record and Sunday Mail does best - the generation and production of brilliant Scottish news and sports - while safeguarding their future success for generations to come."

Trinity Mirror Announces Senior Digital Appointment

2011-05-17T13:29:40Z

Trinity Mirror has today announced the appointment of Chris Ellis to the newly created role as Managing Director, Digital - Nationals Division.

Chris, who has been at the forefront of the European digital landscape for over 15-years, will be responsible for accelerating the digital growth of the nationals division with a focus on developing new and existing digital products and services.

Previously, Chris was Senior Vice President & Managing Director, International of the games media network IGN Entertainment, and before that Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Europe at MySpace. He has also held senior key senior positions at AOL and B.T.

Mark Hollinshead, Managing Director Trinity Mirror Nationals, said: "Chris has a wealth of experience in the digital world and I am delighted he is joining the business to accelerate our progress and drive our digital ambitions."

The division's digital team will report into Chris, while he will report directly into Mark Hollinshead. He joins the company at the end of the month.

Chris Ellis, said: "I'm delighted to be joining Trinity Mirror. I'm excited by the opportunity to lead the new dedicated digital group which, together with such a strong editorial heritage and passionate consumer base, means the company is well positioned to take full advantage of the growth of all things digital."