A £40 million printing deal will make Northern Ireland one of the biggest producers of daily newspapers in Europe, it was announced today.
Independent News and Media (NI) said it had struck long-term contracts with two of the UK’s biggest media companies to print their editions for both sides of the Irish border.
The first deal will see all sections of the Daily Telegraphprinted at IN&M's two-year-old plant at Newry, Co Down, for the next 15 years.
The second deal will see the Daily Mirrorprinted on the Belfast Telegraph'spresses for another seven years.
INM said the deals represented two of the longest print agreements ever signed in the region and resulted from an investment strategy by the company which has seen more than £50 million spent on new presses in both centres.
The full output from the print plants in Belfast and Newry will now cover 35 titles with 200 million copies a year using 50,000 tonnes of newsprint.
The Daily Telegraphand its Sunday sister will be printed in full colour in Newry and the Mirrorand Recordin full colour in Belfast.
The deal means that INM in Northern Ireland will now be printing all Mirrortitles and the Telegraphtitles, together with the Sun, News of the World,the Daily Expressand Sunday Express,the Daily Star,the Irish Star,the Sunday World,the Sunday Tribune,the London Independentand a series of magazines for the Independentin London.