Newspaper publisher buys Town Crier series from Johnston Press

Publisher Iliffe News & Media has acquired the <i>Town Crier</i> series of newspapers from local newspaper publisher Johnston Press.

Included in the deal are the free weeklies St. Neots Town Crier, St. Ives Town Crier, Huntingdon Town Crier and the free monthly St. Neots Community News.

Printing of the newspapers will be moved to Cambridge Newspapers, a subsidiary of Iliffe News & Media.

David Fordham, chief executive of Iliffe News & Media, said: "We are very pleased to have acquired The Crier series of newspapers in what we regard as an important territory for us.

"Although trading conditions are extremely difficult at the present time, we firmly believe that over a period of time this acquisition will ultimately strengthen our publishing position in these markets."

The publications have a combined distribution of 43,000 copies, and Iliffe News & Media claims the titles have an overall readership of 64,000 per week.