In response to Custos' statement, Johnston Press said: "We launched the formal sale process last week so that interested parties could make offers for the company. That process continues and remains our focus." The publisher, which owns i as well as almost 200 regional newspapers, recorded a total statutory revenue of £93m and operating profit of £7.4m in its H1 2018 results while net debt was reported at £140.2m. Shares in Johnston Press opened at 2.01p today, down 1.47%, but had rallied to 2.63p at the time of writing.