The Northern Echo claims to have halted its sales slide since going tabloid in February.
The Newsquest title says that it had been losing sales at rate of 6.9 per cent year-on-year before its switch to the smaller format.
Now, the publishers estimate that sales are running at a drop of 0.3 per cent year-on-year – far better than the industry averaage.
The Northern Echo is also claiming a strong performance online, with growth of 78.9 per cent year-on-year.
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Editor Peter Barron said: “The switch from broadsheet to compact was not an easy decision because The Northern Echo has such a rich heritage and loyal following, but the figures for the first half of the year show beyond any doubt that it was the right decision to make.
“In some weeks, the paper is recording year-on-year plus figures and the on-line numbers are progressing at a cracking rate. It is clear that The Northern Echo is in better shape than it has been for many years and I look forward to it going from strength to strength.”
According to ABC, the Darlington-based Northern Echo had an average sale of 50,675 in July to December last year.
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