Major new contracts for Swindon-based news wholesaler

Swindon-based Smiths News has announced new long-term contracts with magazine distributors Frontline Limited and Seymour Distribution Limited.

Smiths News is the UK's largest news wholesaler and a leading provider of early morning end-to-end supply chain solutions. 

The agreements with Frontline and Seymour include an expansion of the distribution territories in which the company is appointed as the exclusive national wholesale distributor for Frontline and Seymour titles across all of Great Britain, effective from April 2030, and an extension in the contract term of the company’s appointment through to April 2037. 

The expansion and extension provide Smiths News with long-term visibility over volumes as well as improved commercial certainty.

Jonathan Bunting, Chief Executive Officer of Smiths News, said“We are delighted to announce our new contracts with both Frontline and Seymour, further reinforcing our long-term partnership with publishers and distributors, which ultimately maintains great service for millions of consumers across the UK.

"The new contracts continue to reinforce the importance of the printed magazine market which our business model has successfully evolved to support, building a sustainable, efficient and resilient route to market for the magazine category, while maintaining service continuity for publishers and retailers.”

The contracts together are expected to represent an incremental uplift in Smiths News’ revenue of some £105m per annum across the expanded territories of Great Britain from April 2030.
Combined, the Frontline and Seymour portfolios account for over 60% of the UK magazine market.

The contracts come in addition to both the News UK contract and the Associated Newspapers contract awards announced in June of this year.  

Taking all four contract awards together, Smiths News has now successfully secured a substantial long-term volume base of the national newspapers and magazines market.

As previously announced, key to delivery of all four contracts secured to date will be the establishment of an expanded national footprint.  

Guidance around the implementation costs, early-life transition costs, benefits of network expansion, as well as dividend and financing arrangements, remains unchanged.