Johnston Press — owner of The Scotsman, the i newspaper and the Yorkshire Post — said it signed a multi-million pound contract with Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), owners of the Daily Mail, to print the Monday to Saturday issues of the Daily Mail at its Portsmouth Web facility in Hampshire.

This follows an announcement by ANL of the closure of its print site at Didcot.

The Daily Mail copies will serve the South West of England.

“The contract is a multi-million pound contract across a five year period and ANL will have the option to extend the term after the five years,” said Johnston Press.

“This new business comes on top of the Metro contract won by JP-owned Portsmouth Web last October, which is a 12-month rolling contract serving copies into the southern regions.”

Johnston Press CEO Ashley Highfield said: “We are delighted to win this new business on top of the Metro contract just recently won and this further confirms our printing services division as one of the best in the country.

“This latest long term contract will give the staff a real boost and their ability to deliver such prestigious titles against very tough competition is a great reflection on the business.” 

Johnston Press also prints copies of the Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily Star, Sunday Star, The Guardian and Observer in Ireland, some Trinity Mirror regional titles and some Tindle Newspaper titles.