May 5 deadline for sale of Johnston Press titles

A NEW deadline of May 5 has been set for final bids for the Irish portfolio of titles currently owned by Edinburgh-based regional newspaper publisher Johnston Press.

Johnston has been looking to sell the 13 Irish titles, including the Limerick Leader and Kilkenny People, it bought via a e236 million investment in 2005, mainly through the acquisition of the Leinster Leader group.

Despite some speculation, there is apparently no clear front-runner in the race to land the titles but the highest bidder will likely get a six-week period of exclusivity to conduct full due diligence by the May date.