Johnston Press flags continued pressures

Johnston Press, the publishing group that owns The Scotsman, has said in a trading update that it expects full-year results to remain in line with market expectations, after a drop in revenues in the first five months of the year.

The group reported a “continuing strong performance” from the i newspaper, while overall revenues were down by 9 per cent in the period ending 31 May.

It said: “The trading envi- ronment remains extremely challenging, exacerbated in recent months by uncertainty around future paper costs and the impact of GDPR on digital advertising revenues. We expect to see continued pressureonrevenuesinthesecond half of the year, and a requirement for cost savings.”

Cash at bank at the end of May was £24.6 million, and the update comes after it was announced last month that chief executive Ashley Highfield had resigned, to be replaced by chief financial officer David King.