Newspaper Wholesale in 2027: What Is Changing
News UK titles move to a single national wholesaler from July 2027 and Mail titles from January 2028. The announced facts, the open questions and the dates retailers should watch.
Two publisher announcements in June 2026 will change how many shops in Great Britain receive their national newspapers. This update sets out what has been announced, what has not, and the questions retailers may want answered before the changes begin. It reports published news only; where something is a forecast or an opinion, we say whose.
What has been announced
News UK, from July 2027. On 17 June 2026 News UK announced plans "to move to a single-supplier national wholesale distribution model for newspapers and magazines from July 2027", with Smiths News as its national wholesale distribution partner under a new ten-year contract, Talking Retail reported. Smiths News's stock exchange announcement says the contract makes it News UK's exclusive wholesale distributor "across all of Great Britain" from July 2027, and extends its appointment "through to July 2037". The titles named include The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times.
Better Retailing reported that the deal includes areas currently served by InPost Newstrade. News UK's director of retail and wholesale told Better Retailing that "the deal covers Great Britain and does not include Ireland".
Associated Newspapers (ANL), from January 2028. On 29 June 2026 Better Retailing reported that ANL had appointed Smiths News as exclusive wholesaler for the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday and The i Paper across Great Britain from January 2028, with the contract running to July 2037. Sharecast News reported that the two deals together represent "around 36% of the UK newspapers and magazines market" secured for Smiths News from January 2028.
Announced so far: News UK titles move to one wholesaler across Great Britain from July 2027, and ANL titles from January 2028.
Carriage charges
Both contracts come with commitments on delivery charges. Talking Retail reported that Smiths News will freeze carriage charges for the stores it serves for 10 years, adding that "protections will be in place to mitigate the risk of dual carriage charges". In July Better Retailing reported that Smiths News would not raise its delivery service charge for existing customers in autumn 2026 either.
The open question is dual charging. Better Retailing noted that unless all other publishers and magazine distributors follow, retailers supplied by InPost "would face the prospect of having to pay both wholesalers to receive a full roster of titles after July 2027". News UK told it that Smiths News will have "protections in place" but did not say what they are. In July Smiths News's chief executive told Better Retailing it was working on plans to protect incoming customers from prolonged double charges, but could not reveal details while other publisher contracts remained unresolved.
The Federation of Independent Retailers welcomed the freeze, and said it would seek "guarantees that dual carriage charges in the new areas will be avoided, or an alternative solution is made available for our members".
What Smiths News has to build
Smiths News's announcement says the News UK contract sets "conditions, transitional milestones and obligations to be satisfied ahead of July 2027", key among them "the establishment of an expanded national footprint". The same announcement says it currently delivers to "over 22,000 customers across England and Wales".
Better Retailing reported in July that the wholesaler must expand into parts of Britain it does not currently serve, "most notably Scotland". Its chief executive said the company expects to establish "over 20 new warehouses" and recruit "up to 700 new subcontract drivers". Better Retailing also reported that retailers moving to Smiths News will see changes to paperwork and apps, and that the wholesaler plans to explain its systems before the transition.
What other publishers will do is not known
Better Retailing quoted an industry expert describing News UK's move as "the first domino", and reported its understanding that some publishers and distributors hold contracts with both wholesalers running beyond July 2027, which may include clauses allowing early exit. Neither point has been confirmed by the publishers concerned, and at the time of writing we have not seen any other publisher announce a move. In July Smiths News's chief executive said he was "not personally a big fan" of the domino theory, because its clients "all have slightly different aspirations for the supply chain".
InPost told Better Retailing in June that it "remains fully committed to the long-term sustainability of the Newstrade supply chain". After the ANL announcement, an InPost spokesperson said: "Right now, the fundamentals don't change."
For readers who still know the business by its old name, Better Retailing reported in October 2024 that InPost had bought the 70% of Menzies Distribution it did not already own, giving it "full control of Menzies' newstrade and express operations".
What it could mean for retailers
The announced changes start in July 2027. What happens after that depends partly on decisions other publishers have not yet announced. On the published information, a store currently supplied by InPost could:
- receive The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times from Smiths News from July 2027, and the Mail titles and The i Paper from January 2028;
- for a period, deal with two wholesalers for different titles, unless other publishers follow or the promised protections cover it;
- need to learn a new supplier's delivery times, returns process, paperwork and apps.
For a multi-site retailer, the practical first step is to map each store's current wholesaler and title mix, so you know which sites each date affects and can raise questions about delivery times, charges and credits early.
Dates to watch
- 4 November 2026: Smiths News's preliminary results, when its board said it would give further guidance on the financial effects of the News UK contract.
- July 2027: News UK titles move to Smiths News across Great Britain.
- January 2028: ANL titles move to Smiths News across Great Britain.
- July 2037: both contracts run to this date.
Talking to us
If you'd like to talk through what these changes could mean for newspaper and magazine supply to your stores, we're happy to have that conversation.
Sources
- Smiths News chosen as News UK's exclusive national wholesale distribution partner, Talking Retail (accessed 27 October 2026)
- Contract Win – National Distribution (Smiths News plc RNS announcement), Investegate (accessed 27 October 2026)
- Smiths News to become only supplier of News UK titles in deal that will shake up entire supply chain, Better Retailing (accessed 27 October 2026)
- "We've got to look after retailers" – News UK retail boss explains shake up of supply to GB shops, Better Retailing (accessed 27 October 2026)
- Daily Mail publisher follows News UK in Smiths News exclusivity deal, Better Retailing (accessed 27 October 2026)
- Smiths News inks distribution contract with Associated Newspapers, Hargreaves Lansdown (Sharecast News) (accessed 27 October 2026)
- Smiths News freezes carriage charges ahead of expansion, Better Retailing (accessed 27 October 2026)
- Fed welcomes major 10-year carriage charge freeze concession, Talking Retail (accessed 27 October 2026)
- InPost fully acquires Menzies, Better Retailing (accessed 27 October 2026)