VNU production director Joanne Hurst said the contract had been running for 15 months and had worked well for the publisher.

Paul Venediger of PPS said the decision to extend the contract highlighted that the outsourced paper management service was appropriate for publishers wanting to concentrate on their core activities.

The service provided by PPS to VNU covers order administration, stock control, account reconciliation and waste management. PPS also provides procurement consultancy, and a training facility