Some 20 staff are facing redundancy at Reach as the news group continues to integrate teams following its buyout of the Express and Star titles.
The proposals affect staff working on the group’s national titles within the supplements, celebrity magazines, sport and fashion departments.
Reach bought OK!, New! and Star magazines as part of its £127m deal with Richard Desmond last year, which saw it acquire the Express and Star.
Since then it has closed Star magazine and made more than 80 staff redundant in a bid to “remove duplication of effort“.
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It continues to publish the Mirror titles and the Sunday People.
Not all of the 20 staff affected by these latest proposals are journalists, but all work in the editorial department, it is understood.
A Reach spokesperson said: “As we continue to integrate our national teams, some areas, such as fashion and sport, have lent them to a more centralised and streamlined structure.
“Consultations are still ongoing, but this restructuring process will affect approximately 20 members of staff across the national titles and supplements.
“These are not easy decisions for anyone, but ultimately will reduce doubling up on work and allow us to better focus our efforts on the big stories.”
A message to staff announcing the proposals from group editor-in-chief Lloyd Embley, seen by Press Gazette, said: “You are all too well aware of the continued pressures on the business and the wider industry.
“These challenges mean that we need to keep looking at ways to manage our costs, while also protecting the quality of our journalism.”
He added: “We recognise that these processes are never easy and we hope to make it as smooth as possible for those involved.”
Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire
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