Sales Drop Again

Regional daily newspapers have all recorded a slump in sales, according to the latest ABC press circulation charts.

The Wolverhampton-based Express & Star, which has the largest circulation in the West Midlands, shows a drop of just over 18 per cent – from 16,165 in Jan-June 2022 to 13,213 for the same period this year - while its traditional rival, the Birmingham Mail, shows a decrease of over 27 per cent, from 7,795 to 5,643.

The Birmingham Mail has one of the best-performing regional news websites but market research firm IPSOS says that the ‘paper has also witnessed a drop in the number of unique users visiting the site – down from 12.2 million in July 2022 to 8.4 million in July of this year.

The latest circulation figures also include: Worcester News (from 3,456 to 2,904; decrease of 15.97 per cent). Shropshire Star (from 11,998 to 9.914; decrease of 17.37 per cent). Oxford Mail (from 5,504 to 4,463; decrease of 18.91 per cent). Leicester Mercury (from 9,383 to 7,022; decrease of 25.16 per cent). Stoke Sentinel (from 11,855 to 8,763; decrease of 26.08 per cent). Derby Telegraph (from 9,013 to 6,594; decrease of 26.84 per cent). Nottingham Post (from 6,491 to 4.570; decrease of 29.59 per cent). Coventry Telegraph (from 5,492 to 3,681; decrease of 32.98 per cent).

According to the latest ABC figures, the Belfast-based Irish News – for the first time ever – is now the UK’s biggest selling regional daily newspaper , having recorded 25,010 for the period Jan-June 2023. The Manchester Evening News (MEN) which has the highest online audience of all regional titles (9 million unique users) is bottom of the print table, recording a 58.87 per cent decrease after ceasing the circulation of free copies. MEN now has a circulation of 8,344 compared to more than 20,000 a year ago.