15:48 : Smiths News buys school stationery supplier Hedgelane for £38m -
Smiths, which was demerged from retailer WHSmith in 2006, said the deal would help it expand beyond newspapers and magazines - a business area that has suffered sales declines in recent years.
00:23 : Smiths pins the blame on tablets for slump in book sales -
Print book sales were lower than expected at Christmas and the soaring popularity of tablet devices could be to blame, the distributor Smiths News warned yesterday.