Johnston Press Acquires Brighton & Hove Independent

Johnston Press has acquired the free weekly Brighton & Hove Independent which launched in 2011.

The free weekly has a weekly print circulation of 13,005 copies with more than 300 distribution points across Brighton and Hove.

Johnston Press chief executive officer Ashley Highfield said: “The Brighton & Hove Independent perfectly complements our portfolio on the south coast. It’s a great title with a superb reputation with both readers and advertisers.

“We are very pleased to welcome this well-respected newspaper and website to our stable as we further our efforts to expand our reach in the area. It’s a small but terrific team – who produce an excellent newspaper and website – and we’re very happy to have them on board.

The Brighton & Hove Independent will join the 32 other newsbrands in the Johnston Press South region, which includes one of JP’s flagship titles, The News in Portsmouth.

Johnston Press South managing director Karl Dimmock will assume overall responsibility for the business, with the region’s group editor Gary Shipton overseeing editorial. There are no planned changes to staffing on the title.