The Star policy of cutting its price to 20p across much of the UK continued to reap big dividends in August when sales grew 18 per cent year-on-year to 886,814.
It was the only newspaper in the popular and mid markets to put on sales year-on-year.
The Sun was the next best performing title, down 1 per cent year on year to 3,128,501, also helped by the fact that it is on sale for 20p in much of the country.
The Sun now sells around 1.5 million copies a day at the lesser 20p rate. The cost of its basic cover price cut from 35p to 30p and of its further discount to 20p in certain areas is estimated at more than £50m a year in cover price revenue alone.
Trinity Mirror‘s national titles were evidently feeling the effects of strict cost-cutting which will have impacted on their marketing budgets.
The Daily Mirror dropped nine per cent, the Daily Record in Scotland was down 11 per cent, the Sunday Mail in Scotland down 11 per cent and The People down 9.7 per cent.
In the free newspaper market, News International continued to distribute 500,000 copies a day of thelondonpaper – despite announcing plans to close it on 20 August.
London Lite and Metro were static at 400,000 and 1,330,000 copies a day each and City AM increased its distribution by 3.8 per cent to just under 100,000 copies a day.
National newspaper circulation, August 2009 (source ABC)
Daily popular and mid market titles
Daily Mirror: 1,324,883, down 9 per cent
Daily Record: 347,302, down 11 per cent
Daily Star: 886,814, up 18 per cent
The Sun: 3,128,501, down 1 per cent
Daily Express: 730,234, down 2.5 per cent
Daily Mail: 2,171,686, down 3.9 per cent
Sunday popular and mid-market titles
Daily Star Sunday: 401,305, down 0.6 per cent
News of the World: 3,120,991, down 3.99 per cent
Sunday Mail: 428,613, down 11 per cent
Sunday Mirror: 1,237,227, down 5.7 per cent
The People: 586,414, down 9.7 per cent
Sunday Express: 646,861, down 1.25 per cent
Sunday Post: 354,870, down 10.4 per cent
Mail on Sunday: 2,013,742, down 7.5 per cent
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