Scottish publisher DC Thomson confirms 300 employees to go

10/02/2023

THREE hundred employees at DC Thomson will be made redundant, the Scottish publisher confirmed yesterday.

The Dundee-based group said on Wednesday that it had to “reshape its portfolio” to plug a £10million gap.

As well as shedding almost 19% of its workforce, it will close a number of publications including teen magazine Shout.

About half of the job losses will come from the closure of titles acquired from Colchester-based Aceville in 2018.

A spokesperson for DC Thomson, which employs about 1,600 people across the UK, said it was a “difficult decision”.

“A huge amount of work goes into the creation of our titles and, despite being loved, some titles and brands are finding it harder to be profitable,” they added.

“We are resetting DC Thomson’s media business to focus on high growth, and sustainable growth.” 

The firm confirmed the closure of magazines including Living, Platinum, Evergreen, Shout, Animals & You and Animal Planet, which are all produced in Dundee.

“All our flagship brands remain integral to our future,” it said.

DC Thomson publishes newspapers including the Press and Journal, the Sunday Post and the Courier.

Staff were told their jobs were at risk in a series of meetings on Wednesday before the number of redundancies was confirmed yesterday.

They have been told that news titles will not close but it is understood that jobs are at risk among journalists, photographers, senior management and editors.

The news of the DC Thomson redundancies comes as staff at two Scottish newspapers owned by News Corp also face job cuts.

The Times and the Sunday Times Scotland workers have been told about proposals to combine the newspapers into one seven-day operation. It is not yet known how many positions this will affect.

Rupert Murdoch is cutting 1,250 jobs from his publishing empire after surging inflation took its toll on profits.

News Corp, which owns the Times and the Sun in the UK, said it will reduce its head count by around 5% this year as it grapples with higher interest rates and costs.

The Telegraph says the company did not specify where jobs would be lost.

Cuts came as the US-based group reported a 7% decline in revenues to £ £2.06billion in the three months to December, driven by a downturn in its book-publishing division.

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