View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
February 13, 2003updated 17 May 2007 11:30am

Redtops bounce back in January ABC sale figures

By Press Gazette

Sales of nearly all the nationals picked up in January after a dismal December.

The daily popular sector continues to show growth and The Sun under new editor Rebekah Wade has started the year with a bang.

Circulation of The Sun is up 3.8 per cent on January to go back over 3.5 million, 1.5 million copies ahead of the Daily Mirror, and showing a rise of more than 4 per cent on the same six month period a year ago.

The other title boosting the sector is the Daily Star. Its sales are up by nearly a quarter year-on-year and reached 835,343 in January. In the daily quality market things are not so rosy. The whole sector is down 4.8 per cent year-on-year. One reason for the downturn is the decision of The Daily Telegraph to cut back on bulks.

Another factor is falling sales of the Financial Times. Once the star of the daily quality sector as it piled on foreign sales, the FT was down 8.8 per cent compared to December and is showing a fall of 6.5 per cent year on year. The Times also failed to recover from the December doldrums last month, with sales 1 per cent down on January and 5.3 per cent year-on-year.

All the other nationals, with the exception of the Racing Post, Daily Record and Sunday Mail, were up on December.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

With Richmond Desmond about to launch his free London newspaper, the Evening Mail, sales of the Evening Standard are in good shape despite a price increase to 45p. The paper was up 6.7 per cent on January, boosted by promotions and free CDs.

Desmond can celebrate monthly rises for all his nationals, including a 15 per cent rise for his recently launched Daily Star Sunday.

By Jon Slattery

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network