Smiths News, the UK's largest news wholesaler, has secured a new long-term contract with Telegraph Media Group (TMG), publisher of The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph. Under the agreement, Smiths News will become TMG's exclusive wholesale distributor across all Great Britain from October 2027. The appointment has been extended through to September 2036, providing long-term certainty.
Expanded scope and market share
The expanded scope and duration provide greater visibility over future volumes and support continued investment in service, operational capability and customer-focused solutions. Together with the contracts announced in June and July 2026, Smiths News has now secured approximately 61% of the national newspapers and magazines market from the point at which those contracts commence.
The five agreements represent a significant milestone in the development of the company's national network. Delivery of the contracts will be supported by an expanded national footprint, enabling Smiths News to provide "resilient, efficient and scalable distribution services to publishers and retailers across Great Britain".
Industry leaders comment
Jonathan Bunting, chief executive of Smiths News, commented: "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."
Richard Pickard, group director of operations at Telegraph Media Group, commented: "I am delighted to continue our strong partnership with Smiths; the new agreement recognises our long-term commitment to delivering our newspaper to our loyal subscribers and customers. The team at Smiths work tirelessly to help us bring our award-winning journalism to our readers."
