Reach PLC

Logo of Reach PLC

Reach Solutions Ireland is the owner of the Irish Daily Star and the Irish Daily Mirror, as well as their corresponding websites. It is a subsidiary of the publicly traded British company Reach PLC.


Reach PLC’s operation began with the Liverpool Daily Post which was founded in 1855 by Michael James Whitty. In 1879, a sister publication to the post titled The Liverpool Echo was launched, and Liverpool Daily Post & Echo Ltd. was established to manage the publications. Over the years the company expanded, incorporating many regional papers into their portfolio, including the Liverpool Daily Post’s main competitor The Liverpool Mercury, with whom they merged in 1904. These mergers and acquisitions continued throughout the 20th century.


In 1985 the company expanded internationally and rebranded to Trinity International Holdings Ltd, and in 1999, merged with Mirror Group Newspapers, publishers of the Daily Mirror and the Sunday Mirror, to become Trinity Mirror, the UK’s largest publisher of newspapers.


Subsequent mergers included Scottish Media Group in 2005, Northcliffe Media in 2010, Local World Holdings in 2015, and Northern and Shell in 2018, owners of Express Newspapers (the Daily Express, The Sunday Express, The Daily Star, OK!).


In 2018, following these acquisitions, the company rebranded to Reach PLC, to reflect their expanded portfolio and their decision to put a greater emphasis on digital content.

As a publicly traded company Reach PLC does not have any direct owners. It is managed by a board comprising a Chairman, two executive directors and five independent non-executive directors.

Key Facts

Business FormCommercial / For-profit
Legal FormPublic Limited Company
Business SectorsMedia; Recruitment; Consulting; Company Information Services

Ownership

Individual Owner

Media Outlets

Other Media Outlets

Other Online Outlets
  • Aberdeen Live
  • Belfast Live
  • Bristol Live
  • Buzz.ie
  • Cheshire Live
  • Cork Beo
  • Cornwall Live
  • Devon Live
  • Dublin Live
  • Edinburgh Live
  • Yorkshire Live (Huddersfield)
  • football.london
  • Galway Beo
  • Glasgow Live
  • Gloucestershire Live
  • Hampshire Live
  • Hopsmore Craft Beer Club
  • Hull Live
  • Lancs Live (LancsLive)
  • Leeds Live
  • Leicestershire Live
  • Mylancs.liveLondon
  • Plymouth Live
  • RSVP Live
  • Somerset Live
  • Surrey Live
  • SussexLive
  • Wales Online
Other Print OutletsNational newspapers
  • Daily Express / Sunday Express
  • Daily Mirror / Sunday Mirror
  • Daily Record / Sunday Mail
  • Daily Star / Daily Star Sunday
  • The Sunday People
  • Western Mail / Wales on Sunday
  • Irish Daily Mirror
  • Irish Daily Star
Regional Newspapers
  • Accrington Observer
  • Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser
  • Anfield & Walton Star
  • Ayrshire Post
  • Barking & Dagenham Yellow Advertiser
  • Bexley Mercury
  • Birmingham Post / Birmingham Mail / Sunday Mercury
  • Blairgowrie Advertiser
  • Bootle Times
  • Bracknell Standard
  • Brent & Wembley Leader
  • Bristol Post
  • Buckinghamshire Examiner / Buckinghamshire Advertiser
  • Burton Mail
  • Business 7
  • Chester Chronicle
  • Chronicle Extra (Newcastle upon Tyne)
  • Colne Valley Chronicle
  • Cornish Guardian
  • Coventry Telegraph
  • Crewe Chronicle
  • Crosby Herald
  • Derby Evening Telegraph
  • Dover Express
  • Dumfries and Galloway Standard
  • Ealing Gazette
  • Ealing Informer
  • Ealing Leader
  • East Kilbride News
  • Ellesmere Port Pioneer
  • Enfield Advertiser
  • Enfield Gazette
  • Evening Chronicle (Newcastle upon Tyne)
  • Evening Gazette (Teesside)
  • Express & Echo
  • Formby Times
  • Fulham & Hammersmith Chronicle
  • Galloway News
  • Gloucester Citizen
  • Gloucestershire Echo
  • Hamilton Advertiser
  • Haringey Advertiser
  • Harrow & Wembley Observer
  • Harrow Informer
  • Harrow Leader
  • Havering Yellow Advertiser (Romford)
  • Heywood Advertiser
  • Highdown Books
  • Hinckley Times
  • Hounslow Borough Chronicle
  • Hounslow, Chiswick & Whitton Informer
  • Huddersfield District Chronicle
  • Huddersfield Examiner
  • Hull Daily Mail
  • Ilford & Redbridge Yellow Advertiser
  • Irvine Herald
  • Kensington & Chelsea Informer
  • Kilmarnock Standard
  • Leicester Mercury
  • Lewisham & Greenwich Mercury
  • Liverpool Echo
  • Loughborough Echo
  • Maghull Star
  • Manchester Evening News
  • Manchester Metro News
  • Metro Scotland
  • Mid Devon Gazette
  • Middleton Guardian
  • Mitcham, Morden & Wimbledon Post
  • MyLondon
  • Neath Guardian
  • North Devon Journal
  • North East Manchester Advertiser
  • North Wales Daily Post
  • Nottingham Post
  • Oldham Advertiser
  • Ormskirk Advertiser
  • Paisley Daily Express
  • Paisley Daily Express
  • Perthshire Advertiser
  • Prestwich Advertiser
  • Reading Post
  • Rochdale Observer
  • Rossendale Free Press
  • Runcorn & Widnes Weekly News
  • Rutherglen Reformer
  • Salford Advertiser
  • Scottish Business Insider
  • Slough Express
  • South Liverpool Merseymart
  • South Manchester Reporter
  • South Wales Echo
  • South Wales Evening Post
  • Southport Visiter
  • Staines Informer
  • Stirling Observer
  • Stockport Express / (Macclesfield Express / Wilmslow Express / The Sentinel (Staffordshire))
  • Strathearn Herald
  • Streatham, Clapham & West Norwood Post
  • Sunday Sun (Newcastle Upon Tyne)
  • Surrey Advertiser
  • Surrey Herald
  • Surrey Mirror Advertiser
  • Sutton & Epsom Post
  • Tameside Advertiser / Glossop Advertiser
  • The Cornishman
  • The Crawley News
  • The Glaswegian
  • The Journal (Newcastle upon Tyne)
  • The Lennox Herald
  • The Press (Barnet and Hendon)
  • The West Briton
  • The Wharf (Canary Wharf)
  • Uxbridge & Hillingdon Leader
  • Uxbridge Gazette
  • Walton & Weybridge Informer
  • West Lothian Courier
  • Wishaw Press

Facts

Other Media BusinessesPrinting Division
  • Reach Printing Services
Media Sales
  • Amra Ltd.
Digital Advertising
  • Memory Lane
Printing and Licensing
  • Mirrorpix
Other Domestic BusinessesTraffic and Travel
  • InYourArea
Company Information Services
  • Fish4 Trading
Recruitment
  • Fish 4 Jobs
    Recruitment, Totallyegal.com
    Recruitment, The Hot Group
Consulting
  • Northpoint Consulting
Founding Year1855
Founder
  • Michael James Whitty
    Was a former Chief Constable for Liverpool, who had campaigned for the abolition of the Stamp Act under which newspapers were taxed. When the abolition took place, Whitty began publishing the Daily Post at one penny per copy, undercutting the incumbent best-selling Liverpudlian newspaper, the Liverpool Mercury.
Employees4,658
ContactReach PLC
One Canada Square Canary Wharf
E14 5AP
+44 (0) 20 7293 3000
www.reachplc.com
Tax / ID NumberUK Companies House Number: 8254
Revenue€695,657,422 ($733,700,783) (2022)
Operating Profit€82499793 ($86,985,144) (2022)
Advertising (in % of total funding)Missing Data
Executive Board
  • Nick Prettejohn
    Chairperson - Beyond his positions as the Chairperson of the Reach PLC Board, Nick Prettejohn is the Chairman of TSB Banking Group plc, a non-Executive Director of YouGov plc, and a Trustee of the charities Opera Ventures and Prisoners Abroad. Prior to working at Reach PLC, Nick he served as chairperson on a number of biards, including the Financial Services Practitioner Panel, the Britten-Pears Foundation, Brit Insurance, the Royal Northern College of Music and Scottish Widows Limited. He was also a on executive board member at Lloyds Banking Group plc, the Prudential Regulation Authority and Legal & General plc; the BBC Trust. He was previously the CEO of Prudential UK and Europe, and Lloyd’s of London.
  • Jim Mullen
    Chief Financial Officer - Darren previously worked at ITV plc, where he was Group Director of Finance. He was also divisional CFO for the Media & Entertainment division, which contains the UK broadcast business as well as ITV’s digital offerings (ITVX). He has previously served as Director of Finance for Micro Focus plc, Sage plc and Xchanging plc.
  • Darren Fisher
    Chief Financial Officer - Darren previously worked at ITV plc, where he was Group Director of Finance. He was also divisional CFO for the Media & Entertainment division, which contains the UK broadcast business as well as ITV’s digital offerings (ITVX). He has previously served as Director of Finance for Micro Focus plc, Sage plc and Xchanging plc.
Non-Executive Board
  • Denise Jagger
    is a qualified solicitor, a partner at Addleshaw Goddard and, and a former partner at Eversheds Sutherlands LLP. Other prior positions include Non-Executive Director at Bellway plc, Redrow plc, SCS Upholstery plc, the British Olympic Association and Scarborough Building Society. She was also a Director of Asda Stores, and Group General Counsel and Company Secretary of Asda Walmart. Outside of her work on the Reach PLC Board, she is currently a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee of CLS Holdings Plc, Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee of Pool Reinsurance Company Ltd, a Trustee of the National Trust, and Chair and Pro Chancellor of the University of York.
  • Anne Bulford CBE
    her previous positions include Deputy Director General of the BBC and Chief Operating Officer of Channel 4. Her previous non-executive roles include Chair of the Audit Committee of the Executive Committee of the Army Board, and Audit Committee Chair of Ofcom and the Ministry of Justice. Anne qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG and spent 12 years in practice. She was awarded an OBE in 2012 for services to UK broadcasting and, in 2020, received a CBE for services to broadcasting and charity. She is currently a Non-Executive Member of KPMG’s Public Interest Committee, Non-Executive Chair of Trustees of Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital Charity, and Governor of the Royal Ballet.
  • Priya Guha MBE
    is a Venture Partner at Merian Ventures, and a Non-Executive Director of UK Research & Innovation and the Digital Catapult. She is an Adjunct Faculty member at the Hult Ashridge Business School, a member of Royal Academy of Engineering International Committee, and aTrustee of TechSheCan. She previously worked as a career diplomat, most recently as British Consul General to San Francisco, with postings before that in India and Spain. In 2021, Priya was awarded an MBE for services to international trade and women in innovation.
  • Barry Panayi
    previously worked as Chief Data and Insight Officer at the John Lewis Partnership since March 2021. Before this, he was Group Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Lloyds Banking Group. He also held senior roles at Bupa and Virgin Group. He started his career working in consultancy for EY, specialising in data and digital. He is currently Chief Data and Insight Officer at the John Lewis Partnership and Non-Executive Director of Ofgem.
  • Wais Shaifta
    is the former CEO at digital healthcare company Push Doctor, where worked in partnership with the NHS. Before joining Push Doctor, Wais was Director of Global Operations at Treatwell, and before that International Operations Director at Just Eat. As well as his position on the Reach PLC board, Wais is a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Sustainability Committee of The Gym Group plc, Operating Partner of Samaipata, Independent Non-Executive Director of Planity and Governor of The Grange Academy School.
  • Olivia Streatfeild
    has previously held executive roles at TalkTalk, including as Commercial Director and Marketing & CRM Director, and previously worked as an associate principal at McKinsey & Company. Other previous appointments include Chief Executive Officer of Flamingo Horticulture Investments, Commercial Director of TalkTalk’s consumer business, and Partner at Sir Charles Dunstone’s investment vehicle Freston Ventures. She is also the Chief Executive Officer of INTO University Partnerships.