Mirror and Express print titles will be loss-making within 'six to eight years'

The publisher of the Mirror, Express, and Star newspapers yesterday said the print titles would become loss-making in six to eight years but digital growth would stave off closure.

- Mark Sweney

The chief executive of Reach, which owns more than 100 brands including the Manchester Evening News, the Birmingham Mail and the Liverpool Echo, said he intended to remain committed to print even when it became a drag on the business.

"We are maintaining a well-loved but declining print business," said Jim Mullen, who warned in January last year that the titles could fall into the red within five years.

"It might be a bit longer, six to eight years," he said. "I'm talking about profitability, not about the end of newspapers. It is a revenue stream of hundreds of millions annually. With six to eight years' profitability, I keep saying that is a positive."