Gannett, parent company of The Arizona Republic, sells north Phoenix printing facility

Corina Vanek, Arizona Republic
Updated ·2 min read
Gannett, the parent company of The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, sold its printing facility in north Phoenix.
Gannett, the parent company of The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, sold its printing facility in north Phoenix.

Gannett Co., the parent company of The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, sold its north Phoenix printing facility for $38 million, according to Maricopa County records.

The 300,000-square-foot plant sits on 20 acres near 19th Avenue and Williams Drive, north of Loop 101. The company put up the building for sale in October 2022 with an asking price of $47.7 million.

The property was purchased by a partnership between Scottsdale-based Atlas Capital Partners and New York-based DRA Advisors, a real estate investment firm.

Gannett will continue to lease and use the space. Sale and lease-back arrangements are a way for businesses to sell a property to unlock capital while continuing to occupy the facility post-sale.

"Gannett has a long-term lease agreement with the property at 19th Avenue and Williams Drive, with no intention to move," Steve Wagenlander, senior vice president of publishing operations for Gannett, said in an email. "In addition, Gannett maintains ownership of the press and related equipment, printing numerous daily, weekly and commercial products."

In addition to The Republic’s print edition, the plant also prints USA Today; The Desert Sun from Palm Springs, California; The New York Times; the Arizona Daily Star from Tucson; the Arizona Daily Sun from Flagstaff; and many other publications distributed in Arizona, New Mexico and California.

"The location, distinctive building characteristics, lower coverage and proximity to TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.) all added to the allure of this acquisition," Chris Walton, founder and CEO of Atlas, said in an email. "We are really excited about our partnership and adding this unique asset to our portfolio."

Phoenix Newspapers Inc., which was purchased by Gannett in 2000, has owned the site since 1987.

"We're very pleased to purchase such a distinctive building in one of Phoenix's hottest industrial submarkets," Brandon Pike, vice president of capital markets for Atlas, said in an email. "This is also one of the largest existing industrial buildings in Deer Valley. We're grateful for our partners and long-term tenant in the building."

Reach the reporter at cvanek@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter @CorinaVanek.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Republic's printing facility in north Phoenix sells for $38M