Almost 100 jobs at risk as Daily Record publisher to close Glasgow printing plant

Almost 100 jobs are at risk after UK publisher Reach plc announced plans to close its printing plant in Glasgow.

The move would see the majority of its Scottish titles, including The Daily Record and Sunday Mail, printed in England.

Reach unveiled proposals on Tuesday to “consolidate its print operations and drive operational cost savings”.

As part of those plans, STV News understands around 95 jobs are at risk at the Saltire plant in Cardonald.

Titles currently printed at the site include The Daily Record and Sunday Mail, along with Scottish editions of national titles such as The Daily Express, Daily Mirror and Daily Star.

A host of regional titles are also printed at the Saltire site.

As part of the proposal, the work currently served by Saltire will be moved primarily to Reach’s site in Oldham, north-west England, later this spring, with a smaller portion of titles serving the north of Scotland going to DC Thomson’s facility in Dundee.

A consultation process with all impacted employees at Saltire has already begun.

The proposals also affect staff at the company’s site in Watford, with work there being moved to the Newsprinters site based in Broxbourne – via a commercial outsourcing agreement – in the summer.

Reach chief executive Piers North said: “Print remains an important part of our business, and will continue to drive considerable circulation revenue, but our future is firmly rooted in digital.

“This consolidation is a proactive and strategic move, positioning our business for long-term success.

“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.”

Reach Scotland Regionals publishes 17 newspapers from the Saltire print site in Glasgow.

Opened in 1994, the purpose-built print centre was established on environmentally reclaimed land of a former landfill site.

It was officially opened by former prime minister Tony Blair to mark the centenary celebrations of the Daily Record.