A COMMERCIAL property website set up two Scottish journalists has been temporarily closed down – with a view to it becoming permanent.
Despite receiving two million hits last year, www.compropscotland.com has failed to generate sufficient advertising and sponsorship, leaving its founders, Stewart McIntosh and Jim Dow, with what they believe is little choice but to close it down in the hope its readership will react positively with an influx of advertising and sponsorship revenue.
Says McIntosh: “We believe we’ve created a journalistic success and have set new standards in the coverage of commercial property north of the border.
“However, our business model relies on advertising and sponsorship to deliver the income flow required to write and edit a quality, free to access, online newspaper.
“Therefore, while Comprop does not have any debt and has actually produced a net profit since its launch in September 2006, the level of business support from the commercial property community has been insufficient to justify the time and effort involved in maintaining our level of editorial output.
“Having said that, we’d like to express our sincere thanks for the remarkable loyalty of a small group of advertisers and sponsors.
“We’re now taking some time out to investigate alternative business models for Comprop and to explore opportunities in other business sectors.”
