Informing employees by letter on 30 January, Daily Mail editor-in-chief Ted Verity and publisher and CEO of DMG Media Danny Groom told colleagues to expect “a number of job losses”, as the firm makes changes to areas with “unnecessary duplication”.
The letter said the online and print publications would “fully come together with reporters and editors producing stories for online and the papers,” and the Mail on Sunday would “become even more integrated” with the paper, which prints Monday to Saturday.
The firm has said it will obey a 30-day consultation period with staff – a legal obligation for redundancies affecting at least 20 people, with a maximum of 99 people made redundant in a 90-day period.
“Some roles will be placed at risk of redundancy, while other staff may see an alteration in working pattern, job title, line manager or duties,” Verity and Groom said.
“Although it is hard, this is undoubtedly the right choice for the business. Throughout its long history, the Mail has shaped its own destiny and will continue to do so.”
A DMG Media spokesperson said: “Like every news organisation in the world, we have been continually re-shaping our business to meet the challenges - and seize the opportunities - of the new digital world.
“We have already proved that the Daily Mail's formula of investing in superb-quality journalism can translate into outstanding online success.
“Day after day, MailOnline delivers the world's best and fastest breaking news service to a global audience of tens of millions, subscriptions to Mail+ are about to hit 130,000 just a year after its launch - with a US debut weeks away – and our print newspapers outsell all competitors by ever-growing margins.
“Today’s announcement represents a new phase in the Mail’s transition with print and online teams coming fully together to create a dynamic digital-first newsroom.
“Of course, job losses are always deeply regrettable.
“But we firmly believe these latest changes - coupled with our long-term commitment to investing in journalism and razor-sharp focus on delivering for our audience - will position the Mail for an even brighter future.”
DMG Media’s parent company, the Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGT) today revealed its latest set of accounts, published in the Press Gazette.
The accounts, made up to 30 September 2024, show strong year-on-year revenue growth of 11% at the group, with DMGT posting an adjusted operating profit of £87m, compared to 2023’s £55m, a growth of 60%.
Operating profits on its consumer media business, including the Mail titles, Metro, I paper and New Scientist, were up 34%, despite revenues falling 2% to £613m, with declining print circulations largely offset by higher cover prices and subscriptions growth.
One factor in this jump in profits has been DMG Media’s closure of its Thurrock and Dinnington print sites, and joint venture with Sun publisher News UK to print and distribute its titles – a deal cleared by the Competition and Markets Authority in March 2024.
The company’s strong growth has been largely powered by DMGT’s booming events business, headquartered in the United Arab Emirates – which saw staggering growth of 67% in 2024 to £272m.
