The London Newspaper Group, publisher of six local newspapers in
West London, is thought to be up for sale.
The group is part of Adscene which was recently sold in a management
buy-in to Denitz Media, a consortium of two Ashton Weekly Newspapers’
executives - Martin Lusby and Barrie Holden - backed by venture capital
companies, 3i and Intermediate Capital Group.
Since acquiring Adscene, the new owners have already sold off the
Tamworth Herald group to Northcliffe.
The latest news has prompted speculation about further disposals or even
a break-up of the group which also has divisions in Kent, Lincolnshire
and the Midlands.
The LNG titles include the Fulham & Hammersmith Chronicle, the
Kensington & Chelsea Post, the Marylebone & Paddington Mercury and the
Westminster & Pimlico News.
Prospective purchasers are likely to include the group’s closest
competitor, Southnews, which publishes the Kensington & Chelsea Times,
the Hammersmith, Fulham & Shepherd’s Bush Gazette, the Notting Hill
Village Times and the Ealing & Acton Gazette.
The group would also fit well with Newsquest’s South London division,
publisher of the Putney & Wandsworth Guardian, and the South London
Press & Mercury Group owned by Trinity Mirror.
A surprise bidder might be Tindle Newspapers, which used to be active in
the area but no longer has a London presence.
