In a statement, Vasp reports it is currently facing a particularly challenging financial situation due to the continued decline in press sales and a significant increase in operational costs, putting strong pressure on the sustainability of the current daily press distribution coverage.
This situation directly impacts the viability of daily press distribution to sales outlets, especially in the country’s interior regions, forcing the company to reassess its operational and logistical model, states Vasp — Distribution and Logistics. On the same day, Correio da Manhã reports that “eight districts are at risk of being without newspapers starting in January.”
The company unequivocally reaffirms its commitment to universal access to information, viewing it as an essential pillar of territorial cohesion, equal opportunities, and the full exercise of democratic citizenship, adding that “the restriction of this access unjustly penalizes populations in low-density territories and deepens regional asymmetries.”
Despite this commitment, and maintaining full respect for the agreements made with publishers and sales outlets, the company finds it necessary to study a revision of the current configuration of some distribution routes to safeguard the overall continuity of the operation and avoid a scenario of financial unsustainability that would jeopardize the entirety of the press distribution activity in Portugal.
In light of this, “and in the absence of solutions that ensure the full maintenance of the service in its current form, Vasp informs that it is evaluating the need to make adjustments on certain routes, specifically in the districts of Beja, Évora, Portalegre, Castelo Branco, Guarda, Viseu, Vila Real, and Bragança.”
Vasp emphasizes that “no definitive decision has been made yet, and this evaluation is ongoing with the goal of finding alternatives that minimize the impact on publishers, sales outlets, and populations” and expresses “full availability to continue constructive dialogue with publishers, public entities, and other institutional partners” to find solutions that “preserve access to the press for the Portuguese population and avoid an unprecedented scenario in democracy.”
Lusa reached out to one of Vasp’s administrators, but has yet to receive a comment on the matter.
