Minnesota Star Tribune to close its Minneapolis printing facility; 125 employees impacted
The Minnesota Star Tribune says it plans to close its own printing facility on Dec. 27, a move the newspaper says will "affect" around 125 employees.
The Heritage printing facility in Minneapolis has printed the Minnesota Star Tribune for nearly 40 years, according to a release sent on Monday. The newspaper said it will shift its print production to the Gannett printing facility in Des Moines, Iowa, and anyone who pays for print delivery will continue to get service "without interruption."
According to the release, the Minnesota Star Tribune will negotiate with the union representing the 125 impacted employees to determine "benefits and other resources available."
The newspaper said in-house print production has become unsustainable due to a drop in print circulation and that the Minneapolis facility currently uses only 18% of its available capacity.
Weekday and weekend print deadlines will shift to earlier times once print production begins in Des Moines, which may result in late-night content appearing in digital editions first, according to the release.
"This is a difficult but necessary decision to position the Minnesota Star Tribune for future growth," Steve Grove, CEO and publisher of the Minnesota Star Tribune, said in a written statement.
The newspaper said it will save "several million dollars" in expenses each year by closing the Heritage facility.