Archant will cease its in-house printing operation from November with future printing being outsourced to the News UK-owned company Newsprinters in Broxbourne.

From 11 November, Archant titles including the Eastern Daily Press (EDP), Ham and High and The New European, will be delivered to retailers via their wholesaler.

The distribution of Archant’s Norfolk and Suffolk titles had previously been managed in-house.

Following the move, retailers will also have to manage returns and invoices through their local wholesaler.

Newsprinters already publishes News UK titles The Sun and The Times, as well as The Telegraph and The Evening Standard.

In a letter sent to retailers by Archant, the publisher said: “This change provides Archant with a number of benefits; we also feel that it will benefit retail partners too.”

Archant chief executive Jeff Henry has also announced he will stand down and will be replaced by new executive chairman Simon Bax.

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Henry said: “The Broxbourne printing plant is one of the largest and most technologically advanced in the world which will ensure we continue to deliver the highest quality printed newspapers to our readers in the most cost efficient manner.”

There will be more than 90 jobs lost as a result of the closure in Thorpe, where the majority of its 54 titles are printed.

Archant has seen revenues fall significantly in recent years to around £87m in 2018, with circulation of the EDP falling from 75,000 in 2000 to 25,600.

Following the announcement of its print site’s closure, an Archant spokesperson said: “As everyone understands, in the decades since we opened the Thorpe site, our industry has gone through many changes.

“For the first time, a third party is now able to offer the capacity and flexibility to print all our daily and weekly papers, providing substantial cost savings. Our business continues to invest into growth areas such as our digital platforms, to keep Archant robust and future-proof.”

The announcement follows the news that Archant has agreed a £3m partnership with Google as part of a bid to “rethink local news” online.

Read more: Newspapers & Magazines