Major national contract win for Swindon news wholesaler

Swindon-based news wholesaler Smiths News has successfully secured a new long-term exclusive contract with Daily and Sunday Telegraph publisher Telegraph Media Group Holdings Limited.

The new agreement with TMG is another step in the transformational contracts secured in respect of exclusive national wholesale distribution which includes national newspaper publishers News UK and Associated Newspapers and the magazine distributors Frontline and Seymour. 

The agreement is on enhanced commercial terms for Smiths News and includes:

- An expansion of the distribution territories in which the Company is appointed as TMG's exclusive wholesale distributor, securing national distribution of TMG's leading titles across all of Great Britain, to take effect from October 2027

- An extension in the contract term of Smiths News' appointment through to September 2036.  It represents an incremental uplift in revenue from the expanded territories of about £40m per annum from October 2027.

Together with the contracts announced in June and July 2026, Smiths News has now successfully secured about 61% of the national newspapers and magazines market at the point at which those contracts commence.

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

Jonathan Bunting, Chief Executive Officer of Smiths News, said: "We are delighted to announce the extension and expansion of our long-term partnership with TMG through to 2036. 

"This represents another key step in expanding our network footprint to cover the whole of Great Britain, ensuring that consumers are able to access and consume news and magazine content for many years to come.

"More importantly, this reinforces our position as a trusted partner across our industry and further secures a sustainable future for print media distribution, reflecting our shared commitment to supporting the industry over the long term."