Archant takes 50 per cent stake in Tickles website

Regional newspaper and magazine publisher Archant has taken a 50% stake in Tickles.co.uk, a local group-buying website that is planning to launch across the country.

On Tickles merchants offer discounts on a product or service, in return for a guaranteed minimum number of sales over a limited time period. The service is free to users, who sign up to receive local offers. They can then purchase a voucher online which they can redeem with the merchant, but only if a minimum number of people required have signed up for the offer.

Tickles was launched in May 2010. It is already established in Norfolk and Cambridge and, according to Archant, the service is set to launch in Ipswich and across the rest of the country in the next few weeks.

Adrian Jeakings, chief executive of Archant, commented: “Archant's long-standing presence in the local communities we serve means that we are ideally positioned to negotiate the best deals with local businesses and then give them maximum exposure to attract local customers through our newspapers, magazines websites, mobile sites and apps.”