June 8, 2020 1.27 pm This story is over 45 months old

Regional publisher to close two Lincolnshire offices

JPIMedia will close its Louth and Sleaford offices
The 11 offices proposed for closure including the Sleaford Standard and Louth Leader. 

Regional publisher JPIMedia will close its Louth and Sleaford offices as it claims the COVID-19 lockdown showed the “benefits of home working”.

A total of 11 local offices are planned for closure, including the two in Lincolnshire.

The Sleaford Standard and Louth Leader will not cease publication in print or online.

Although the firm reportedly owns its print sites, all offices are rented from commercial landlords.

The company will retain its last two Lincolnshire offices in Horncastle and Boston.

According to HoldtheFrontPage, JPIMedia’s chief executive David King said in a message to staff on Monday morning: “As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, one of the changes faced by many of us has been the sudden switch to working from home. We have all had to adjust to this new way of working, some of us whilst juggling work, childcare and home-schooling, as well as a host of other changes to our normal lives.

“As I have said before, it is a testament to everyone’s hard work and resilience that we have been able to remain so productive during this time.

“As you know, we keep our property portfolio under review as a matter of course and over the last few years have reduced our footprint significantly, offering flexibility to our employees while still providing quality local news and information to our readers and audiences online.

“Like many businesses, the changes enforced by the current crisis have caused us to carefully consider both our approach to how we work and our future property requirements.

“As part of the overall JPIMedia property strategy launched last year, we were already pursuing a modest agile working approach in many parts of the business. The lockdown has shown us that remote working could be beneficial in many more areas of our business.”