A newspaper stand. - Jacques Witt / SIPA

Distribution of national newspapers and certain magazines was blocked on Tuesday in a large part of France by press distributors, after the announcement of a possible plan to liquidate the local structures of Presstalis. The newspapers were not distributed in Marseille or Lyon, but were available in Lille and Paris, according to local AFP offices.

"Strike in the distribution of the press in the provinces following the announcement of the project to liquidate the SAD," announced the General Syndicate of the Book CGT on Twitter. “No PQN (national daily press) this Tuesday outside Paris. The cities will not be served in magazines ”. The regional press titles, which have their own distribution networks, were not impacted on Tuesday by this movement.

"The fight is just beginning, we will not let go"

The printing works of Gallargues (Gard), Vitrolles (Bouches-du-Rhône), Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle) and Saint-Vulbas (Ain) were "blocked" Tuesday morning, according to the CGT, and the depositary Alliance de Valence ( Drôme) has been "invaded". "The fight is just beginning, we will not let go," continued the CGT.

Presstalis filed for bankruptcy in late April and goes this Tuesday morning before the Paris Commercial Court, which should choose between a liquidation and a recovery plan proposed by the daily cooperative. This offer concerns the Paris headquarters of Presstalis and its distribution and grouping activities in Bobigny, in Seine-Saint-Denis. But not its regional deposits from which the newspapers, whose structures would be liquidated, leave.

The social consequences could be enormous for Presstalis: previous plans, which were broader, already provided for the takeover of only 300 employees out of 900.

A “realistic” plan according to Presstalis

Daily newspapers and magazines have been clashing for several weeks around the future of the distributor in which they are shareholders. On Monday, after a final weekend of negotiations, the Presstalis board of directors was informed of the absence of a joint offer, and the daily newspapers proposed this plan which, to be viable, must be supported by a number of magazines.

Presstalis management supported this proposal, calling it Monday evening "realistic". The daily plan "allows the Group to avoid immediate liquidation over its entire scope and the cessation of its messaging activity, with a major social cost," said Presstalis management in a press release.

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  • Distribution
  • Blocking
  • Strike
  • Newspapers
  • France
  • Media