Spending on newspapers in the UK has dropped by 14 per cent over the last decade, according to research by Mintel.
Despite this decline spending on magazines and comics grew by 38 per cent between 1999 and 2009, according to the British Lifestyles Survey from the research organisation.
Overall spending on newsagent goods was worth £26.8bn in 2009, an increase of 10 per cent over the last ten years.
According to the survey, spending on newspapers in the UK peaked in 2004 at £3.59bn. In 2005 it was worth £3.37bn then it grew slightly to £3.38bn in 2006 and up again in 2007 to £3.41bn.
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However, spending fell sharply in 2008 to £3.27bn and dropped again in 2009 to £2.99bn.
According to Mintel, in the past five years while freesheet distribution almost doubled national newspaper circulation declined by 14 per cent.
Sales of magazines and comics have grown steadily to a peak of £1.08bn in 2007, the report claimed. That figure tailed off slightly to £1.06bn in 2008 and then remained the same last year.
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Mintel notes: “While the decline in newspaper readership and circulation has been a long-term phenomenon, the decline in magazine and comic readership has been a relatively new problem, with much of the recent downturn caused by the recession.”
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