The UK’s regional newspapers lost print sales at an average rate of 10.2 per cent year on year in the first half of 2015.
None of the 70 titles audited by ABC grew print sales year on year.
The biggest faller was the Birmingham Mail (once one of the UK’s biggest regional print titles). It fell 25 per cent year on year to an average of 27,663 sales per day. Its circulation drop was partly due to a reduction in free distribution from around 8,000 a day a year ago to around 2,000 in the first six months of the year.
The Lancashire Teleghraph grew its overall figure, but only thanks to the introduction of 1,615 free bulk copies to its circulation.
The Wolverhampton-based Express and Star remains the UK’s biggest selling UK regional daily with average circulation of 67,276 (down 13.1 per cent year on year).
UK regional daily newspaper circulations for the first half of 2015 (source: ABC)
Note: ABC did not provide year on year comparisons for Trinity Mirror titles. These were calculated by Press Gazette by comparing the figure for the first six months of this year with the monthly figure for June 2014 (TM titles have switched from monthly to six-monthly auditing).
| Title | Media Owner | Total | YoY% | % paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Evening Standard | Evening Standard Limited | 887,516 | -0.3 | Free |
| Express & Star (West Midlands) | The Midland News Association | 67,276 | -13.1 | 88.2 |
| Manchester Evening News | Trinity Mirror plc | 60,327 | -14.3 | 59.4 |
| Liverpool Echo | Trinity Mirror plc | 59,754 | -4.3 | 98.3 |
| Aberdeen – Press & Journal | D C Thomson & Co Ltd | 58,502 | -5.9 | 99.2 |
| Dundee – The Courier | D C Thomson & Co Ltd | 45,064 | -7.9 | 99.5 |
| Belfast Telegraph | Independent News & Media (NI) | 44,141 | -8.1 | 77.4 |
| Norwich – Eastern Daily Press | Archant Ltd | 39,821 | -6.6 | 99.7 |
| Irish News – Morning | Irish News Co | 37,666 | -5.7 | 99.3 |
| The Herald | Newsquest Media Group | 34,379 | -8.9 | 100 |
| The Sentinel | Local World | 33,426 | -10.8 | 100 |
| Newcastle Chronicle | Trinity Mirror plc | 32,848 | -8.2 | 98.9 |
| Shropshire Star | The Midland News Association | 32,340 | -12 | 100 |
| Hull Daily Mail | Local World | 31,601 | -10 | 100 |
| Aberdeen – Evening Express | D C Thomson & Co Ltd | 30,929 | -11.4 | 99.5 |
| Leicester Mercury | Local World | 30,448 | -13 | 98.4 |
| Glasgow – Evening Times | Newsquest Media Group | 29,951 | -10.3 | 100 |
| Leeds – Yorkshire Post | Johnston Press plc | 27,903 | -10.1 | 95.3 |
| Darlington – The Northern Echo | Newsquest Media Group | 27,819 | -9.5 | 100 |
| Birmingham Mail | Trinity Mirror plc | 27,662 | -24.6 | 92.7 |
| South Wales Evening Post | Local World | 26,144 | -8.2 | 100 |
| Teesside – The Gazette | Trinity Mirror plc | 25,493 | -5 | 100 |
| Daily Post (Wales) | Trinity Mirror plc | 24,713 | -6.2 | 97.9 |
| Portsmouth – News & Sports Mail | Johnston Press plc | 24,251 | -13.2 | 100 |
| The Scotsman | Johnston Press plc | 23,782 | -12.6 | 89.8 |
| Edinburgh – Evening News | Johnston Press plc | 23,550 | -9.1 | 97.7 |
| The Post | Local World | 22,667 | -10 | 96 |
| Derby Telegraph | Local World | 21,889 | -13.2 | 99.2 |
| Southend – Basildon – Castle Point – Echo | Newsquest Media Group | 21,352 | -7 | 99.9 |
| Coventry Telegraph | Trinity Mirror plc | 21,306 | -8 | 90.8 |
| Nottingham Post | Local World | 20,577 | -12.6 | 97.7 |
| Sheffield Star | Johnston Press plc | 20,305 | -12.6 | 100 |
| Southampton – Southern Daily Echo | Newsquest Media Group | 20,211 | -9.8 | 100 |
| Plymouth – The Herald | Local World | 20,139 | -7.5 | 100 |
| Leeds – Yorkshire Evening Post | Johnston Press plc | 20,093 | -16.1 | 100 |
| Cardiff – South Wales Echo | Trinity Mirror plc | 19,158 | -10.4 | 100 |
| Ipswich – East Anglian Daily Times | Archant Ltd | 18,802 | -9 | 100 |
| Wales – The Western Mail | Trinity Mirror plc | 18,641 | -14.9 | 95.1 |
| Dundee Evening Telegraph | D C Thomson & Co Ltd | 18,078 | -8.5 | 99.8 |
| News Letter | Johnston Press plc | 17,511 | -9.3 | 99.1 |
| York – The Press | Newsquest Media Group | 17,342 | -11.7 | 100 |
| Sunderland Echo | Johnston Press plc | 16,894 | -17.7 | 99.7 |
| Bradford – Telegraph & Argus | Newsquest Media Group | 16,737 | -11.5 | 100 |
| Bournemouth – The Daily Echo | Newsquest Media Group | 16,395 | -9.2 | 100 |
| The Journal | Trinity Mirror plc | 15,807 | -9.1 | 99.9 |
| Jersey Evening Post | The Midland News Association | 15,002 | -3.9 | 95.5 |
| Huddersfield Daily Examiner | Trinity Mirror plc | 14,051 | -8.1 | 100 |
| Lancashire Telegraph – Blackburn | Newsquest Media Group | 13,304 | 1.6 | 87.8 |
| Guernsey Press & Star | The Midland News Association | 13,197 | -3.7 | 89.6 |
| Lancashire Evening Post | Johnston Press plc | 13,129 | -11.9 | 100 |
| The Argus Brighton | Newsquest Media Group | 12,736 | -11.4 | 98.1 |
| The Gazette – Blackpool | Johnston Press plc | 12,216 | -13.8 | 100 |
| Ipswich Star | Archant Ltd | 12,174 | -7 | 67.9 |
| Dorset Echo | Newsquest Media Group | 12,131 | -8.6 | 100 |
| South Wales Argus | Newsquest Media Group | 12,110 | -8.2 | 100 |
| Oxford Mail | Newsquest Media Group | 11,770 | -7.9 | 100 |
| The Bolton News | Newsquest Media Group | 11,157 | -9.7 | 100 |
| Colchester – Daily Gazette | Newsquest Media Group | 11,058 | -5.5 | 99.8 |
| Swindon Advertiser | Newsquest Media Group | 11,056 | -7.8 | 100 |
| Norwich – Evening News | Archant Ltd | 10,531 | -4.8 | 100 |
| Barrow – North West Evening Mail | CN Group | 9,513 | -11.2 | 100 |
| Oldham Evening Chronicle | Hirst Kidd & Rennie Ltd | 8,663 | -11.9 | 99.8 |
| South Shields – Shields Gazette | Johnston Press plc | 8,178 | -19.1 | 100 |
| Worcester News | Newsquest Media Group | 8,113 | -8.7 | 100 |
| Carlisle – News and Star East | CN Group | 8,043 | -9.6 | 100 |
| Hartlepool Mail | Johnston Press plc | 7,435 | -15.7 | 100 |
| Paisley Daily Express | Trinity Mirror plc | 5,387 | -16.8 | 100 |
| Wigan Evening Post | Johnston Press plc | 4,036 | -10.1 | 100 |
| Carlisle – News and Star West | CN Group | 3,244 | -7.5 | 100 |
| Doncaster Star | Johnston Press plc | 767 | -25.2 | 100 |
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