EMAP off the rails
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• British Rail's hold on the distribution of newspapers and magazines has diminished further with TNT winning the contract to distribute 42 magazines produced by East Midlands Allied Press.
The two-year contract for an undisclosed sum ends a 34year association between BR and EMAP, and follows negotiations which lasted 14 months.
TNT Newsfast's general manager Tom Bell says: "It is our first major contract with an independent publishing house and certainly the biggest ever magazine contract we have been awarded to date."
Bell plans to use all of TNT/ Newsfast's fleet of 448 collection and delivery vehicles and 34 tractive units for the EMAP contract. Haulage times will be arranged to allow dedicated haulage of the EMAP titles at one time during the day, and other TNT Newsfast business at other times.
No additional vehicles will be required, says Bell, but he expects to take on around a dozen extra staff.
The contract divides the operation into two levels of service, with weekly magazines delivered to wholesalers within 18 hours of printing, to maximise shelf life, and other titles delivered within 48 hours.