Dunstall, the former owner of failed Bradford direct mail printer Global MP, has added to his south coast publishing interests by becoming involved with the publisher of monthly magazines Solent Life and The Informer.
He is now a director at Southampton-based Solent Life Ltd, which was renamed Universal Media Ltd on the same day that Dunstall took up the directorship (27 January).
The firm’s former sole director Nicholas Clench resigned his directorship the previous day, although Dunstall said Clench was still involved with the business.
In December 2014 Dunstall became a director at Chichester-based Limefresh Media, which also publishes a local interest magazine, Portsmouth Life.
Earlier this week advertisers in Solent Life and The Informer were emailed “a letter from the owner”, stating that the company was under new ownership and management, and has “a new funding provider and improved administration”.
Both magazines will be distributed mid-month, according to the letter. The Informer has a claimed circulation of 38,000 distributed door-to-door, and Solent Life a circulation of 25,000 via 400 pick-up points.
New issues of both titles will be published on Saturday (14 February) based on the publishing schedule cited in the letter.
However, staff at the publishing company found themselves locked out of their old offices and have not been paid last month’s wages, which were due on 31 January.
One staff member told PrintWeek: “Employees haven’t been paid and Kevin Dunstall has not been seen at the office. He was adamant he would pay the staff, and that was his priority.”
PrintWeek understands there are around 11 employees involved in sales, production and administration, plus a further 20 people who work as distributors.
Dunstall told PrintWeek: “I have inherited a distressed business. Staff definitely will be paid and I am sorting that out at the moment. I explained in my letter that it would be a challenging time.”
The identity of the company’s current printer, or printers, is unknown. There has been speculation that the titles will be printed on the continent. Dunstall said he did not deal with printing.
Telford’s Precision Colour Printing had previously printed both magazines, but stopped printing for the publisher under its former management at the end of last year.
