Tindle Newspapers launches four new South London newspapers, relying on current editorial team

Tindle Newspapers has announced plans to launch another four free weekly newspapers in South London.

The regional publisher, owned by Sir Ray Tindle, will now have 40 newspapers based across London, after launching nine weekly newspapers since November.

The new launches will be produced by the existing editorial team.

The South London Press is to start producing the Plumstead Mercury, Woolwich Mercury, Catford Mercury and Abbey Wood & Thamesmead Mercury this week.

This means that the SLP, which has around ten editorial staff – including sub-editors and photographers – now produces: the South London Press Tuesday and Friday editions; SLP editions for Streatham, Brixton, Wimbledon, Wandsworth, Deptford-New Cross, Dulwich and Forest Hill-Sydenham; and the Mercury editions for Greenwich, Lewisham and Bexley, as well as the four new editions.

Holdthefrontpage reports that staff were last week told an SLP reporter who covered two London boroughs would not be replaced because of the company's non-replacement policy, which managing director Karen Sheppard said was in place to avoid compulsory redundancies.

At the end of last year, Tindle Newspapers launched four new local newspapers for West London and added a fifth, for Fulham, earlier this year. Tindle said at the time that existing staff based in London would produce the titles but that more journalists would be recruited if they proved successful.