Edipresse acquires stake in free newspaper Le Régional

The Lausanne publishing group Edipresse is acquiring a majority stake in the free weekly newspaper Le Régional. The publisher has announced that this will not affect the editorial independence of the paper. The investment came about as a result of a request from the newspaper to Edipresse due to financial difficulties, as reported by SDA. With the help of Edipresse, Le Régional is now to return to profitability. One of the measures planned to achieve this is a change in format. In addition, the paper will now be distributed not only east of Lausanne to Montreux but also in the Chablais, increasing its circulation from 98,000 to 115,000 copies. To enable Le Régional to gain a foothold in the Chablais, Edipresse is giving up its weekly newspaper 24 Heures Hebdo Riviera Chablais. Three new jobs are created in the editorial and advertising acquisition departments.