The nearly 6,000 stores in Greater London supplied with The Sun and Times directly by News UK will see a rise in their news bills, the publisher has confirmed.
From 30 January, the daily charge will rise from £2.27 to £2.30. This will increase again six months later on 31 July to £2.34, giving a total rise of 3.1% – equivalent to an extra £25.41 a year.
A News UK spokesperson said: “Over the past two years, News UK froze daily delivery charges and deferred part of an annual increase to support retailers during the global pandemic and inflation.
“During the past 12 months, we have worked to manage our cost base, which has been significantly affected by increased fuel, labour and vehicle operating costs.”
The company said the decision to split the rise, deferring half by six months, was a “gesture of goodwill”.
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Fed national president Jason Birks described the increase as “disappointing, but not entirely unexpected”.
Speaking in November, News UK’s commercial director of operations, Tracey Hart, said News UK’s Direct to Retail service in London was “under review” alongside all other retail operations.
“We are looking at everything, and making sure the service we give to retailers is right,” Hart added.
“It is something we’ll continue to look at, but there are no particular plans at the moment to make any changes.”
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