British ABC newspaper circulation figures due for release today are expected to show the Daily Express continuing to languish below the million mark.
Figures leaked to Campaign magazine reveal that the newspaper had a circulation of 936,000 in March, a fall of 1.5% from the previous month’s 950,523 and a 10.4% decrease compared to the equivalent month last year.
These results do not include door-drops of 960,000 copies last month, which rivals claim should not be included in the figures since it does not entail any choice by a consumer.
However, even if, as expected, these copies are included in the final ABC figures, they would only boost the paper’s bulk sales by 32,000 over the month. The resulting circulation would represent a month-on-month rise, but would still leave the Express well below one million, a figure the paper dropped beneath earlier this year following its acquisition by Richard Desmond [WAMN: 09-Feb-01].
However, there was some good news for Desmond’s newspaper stable – the Sunday Express saw a 10% rise on February’s figures with an ABC circulation of 963,000 (up 0.3% year-on-year), and the Daily Star saw a 9.1% jump on March 2000’s results with a figure of 666,000.
Meanwhile, the Daily Express’s chief rival the Daily Mail saw a 1.2% year-on-year rise to 2.4m. Sunday broadsheet The Observer also performed well, notching an 11% rise on March 2000 with 446,000.
News Source: CampaignLive (UK)
