The Guardian is centralising its recruitment and display advertising sales operation in London.

The move, currently under consultation, is aimed at developing a national management structure for the newspaper's ad sales teams. A small number of redundancies is expected in London and Manchester.

The recruitment operation, Guardian Recruitment Solutions, including Guardian Weekly and ad planning and administration, will be centralised into one national team in London.

Guardian News & Media Commercial, responsible for the display ad sales operation, will retain a presence in Manchester and Scotland, but receive management from London with a national remit. However, the GRS field sales operation in the Manchester region will be strengthened, and the one in Scotland will be retained in order to maintain face-to-face contact with clients.

This centralised strategy came after a review of the company's structure, resources and investment priorities, as Guardian plans to transform into a multimedia operation, MediaGuardian reported.