Johnston Press has launched an online platform, the hub, in a bid to forge relationships with small businesses in areas served by its regional and local newspapers.

The website, which is free to access, features tips, videos, infographics and advice guides along with resources for business people.

According to the publisher’s press release, the hub “marks the launch of Johnston Press’s content marketing strategy for its business-to-business arm”.

It sits alongside JP’s digital marketing service for small and medium-sized enterprises, Digital Kitbag, and follows research conducted by the company with the Centre for Economics and Business Research.

JP, with 208 paid-for titles including 13 dailies, claims to reach one in three people in the UK plus 300,000 local business customers.

Chief executive Ashley Highfield calls the initiative “a major step” to transform the company’s approach to business-to-business marketing.

Our news brands, he says, “have always recognised that small business is the lifeblood of all communities they serve and today’s launch of the hub enables us to continue to connect with our local businesses in a fresh and relevant way”.