News

Following months of uncertainty the Folkestone Herald and Dover Express, part of Kent Regional Newspapers, have been sold to the Daily Mail group of newspapers.

Northcliffe Media, part of Daily Mail & General Trust, today (6 July) bought 25 Trinity Mirror regional weekly newspapers for £64.15m.

The local newspaper division of DMGT today said it had bought three of Trinity Mirror's local divisions, East Surrey and Sussex Newspapers, Kent Regional Newspapers and Blackmore Vale Publishing.

The sale includes paid-for weeklies the Croydon Advertiser, the Surrey Mirror, the Folkestone Herald and Dover Express; and free weeklies including the Adscene series, Blackmore Vale Magazine, a free title published in Dorset and numerous local websites.

Northcliffe will use the sale to boost its south-east division, currently its smallest region.

Kent Regional Newspapers publishes a portfolio of both paid-for weekly and free newspapers across mid and north Kent.

In the Kent region, the paid-for titles comprise the Herne Bay & Whitstable Times, Folkestone Herald, Dover Express, Medway News, Medway Standard, East Kent Gazette Group, Isle of Thanet Gazette and the Thanet Times.

Its free weeklies are Ashford Adscene, Canterbury Adscene, Folkestone & Dover Adscene, Maidstone Adscene, Medway Adscene, Sittingbourne Adscene (including the Faversham Times), and Thanet Adscene.

Trinity Mirror and Northcliffe expect to complete the sale by the end of the month.