End of an Era; New Beginnings
End of an era
Dawson News, the trading name of Surridge Dawson and the division of Dawson which delivers newspapers and magazines to the newsagents of England and Wales, went into administration today, August 3rd, 2009, following the well-publicised recent loss of publisher contracts. The loss of that business meant that there was no alternative but for Surridge Dawson to exit the market. The administrator has now concluded a sale to Smiths News and Menzies Distribution of many of the assets and substantially all the employees have transferred to those successor organisations. Even up to this point, Dawson worked tirelessly with the publishers and others to deliver the managed transition which the industry so needed.
New Beginnings
Following the reorganisation of the group at the end of May, amongst other things more closely to align the legal and commercial structures, the three continuing businesses, Dawson Media Direct Limited, Dawson Books Limited and Dawson Marketing Services Limited are well positioned in their markets and will continue to provide excellent service to their customers. All three businesses in their markets show leadership and excellent customer service and it is these qualities amongst others which provide us with confidence in the future of the Group. An interim management statement will be released on August 14 and will provide an update.