Sale imminent for Thomson Scots papers as Trinity shuts media arm

The sale of the Thomson Corporation’s Scottish newspapers is expected to be finalised within the next two weeks. At the same time, Trinity International has decided to close Thomson Media Sales.

Dundee-based publisher DC Thomson is the front-runner to buy the Aberdeen Press & Journal, while the owners of The European, the secretive Barclay brothers, are tipped by internal sources to take control of The Scotsman.

Meanwhile, Trinity International has appointed sales house Amra to handle national ad sales for the Welsh newspapers it has acquired from Thomson, pending Monopolies & Mergers Commission approval. Amra expects the deal to represent an extra 5m in ad billings.

Rival sales house Mediaforce is to handle the titles Trinity bought in the North-east of England. It already handled sales for Trinity’s Scottish and Universal group of newspapers.

The move ends speculation that Trinity planned to create its own national sales house using the staff from TMS. About 25 staff from TMS’s London office will be made redundant once the deal is completed, although the Manchester office is expected to merge with Trinity’s north-west operations.

Amra managing director Roy Jeans says: “News-papers such as the Western Mail and the South Wales Echo fit in well with the rest of our portfolio and will enable us to offer a Welsh and South-western package.”