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March 5, 2018

Regional non-daily paid-for ABCs: Trinity Mirror sees number of paid-for weeklies drop sales by 20 per cent or more

By Freddy Mayhew

A number of Trinity Mirror paid-for regional weekly newspapers saw their circulation fall by more than 20 per cent year-on-year, new ABC figures show.

The worst performing was weekly the East Grinstead Courier, which saw sales drop by 60 per cent to 1,350 for the six months to the end of December 2017.

Sales of Newsquest’s Wanstead & Woodford Guardian were down 54 per cent year-on-year to 1,405 copies per week.

Trinity Mirror’s two Gloucestershire titles recorded double-digit circulation rises to nearly 10,000 copies each after moving to a weekly publishing frequency in October last year.

The Gloucestershire Echo was up 18 per cent year-on-year and the Gloucester Citizen was up 10 per cent year-on-year

Independent News and Media’s fortnightly Sunday Life newspaper, which is sister title to the Belfast Telegraph, had the highest circulation across the non-daily news sector at 32,892, down 10 per cent year-on-year.

Weeklies the Isle of Wight County Press and the Kent Messenger, both of which were bought out by rival publishers last year, saw their circulations fall by 9 per cent and 11 per cent respectively.

Regional paid-for non-daily circulation figures for July-December 2017 (ABC figures):

Publication Circulation total Year-on-year % change 
Sunday Life 32,892 -10%
Isle of Wight County Press 23,006 -9%
Kent Messenger 20,800 -11%
Newcastle Sunday Sun 20,155 -14%
Barnsley Chronicle 19,855 -15%
Rotherham & South Yorkshire Advertiser 18,772 -7%
Hereford Times 18,460 -7%
Sunday Herald 18,387 -13%
Scotland on Sunday 16,289 1%
Cumberland News 16,236 -10%
Westmorland Gazette 16,206 -9%
West Briton 15,498 -18%
Liverpool Sunday Echo 14,652 -14%
New Milton Advertiser and Lymington Times 14,509 -7%
Surrey Advertiser 14,429 -15%
Darlington & Stockton Times 14,214 -9%
Torquay – Herald Express 14,093 -14%
Sunday Mercury 13,820 -15%
Essex Chronicle 13,484 -19%
Western Gazette 13,133 -13%
North Devon Journal 13,088 -17%
Lincolnshire Echo 13,026 -8%
Kent and Sussex Courier 12,968 -18%
Ayrshire Post 12,942 -9%
Salisbury Journal 12,904 -7%
Goole Times (Incorporating Selby Times) 12,692 -8%
Scunthorpe Telegraph 12,579 -13%
Warrington Guardian 12,501 -12%
Cumberland & Westmorland Herald 12,235 -5%
Cornish Guardian 11,789 -18%
Exeter – Express & Echo (Thursday) 11,710 -5%
Somerset County Gazette 11,145 -10%
Romford Recorder 10,755 -4%
Bucks Free Press 10,704 -8%
Gazette & Herald 10,540 -9%
Oban Times 10,538 -2%
Hexham Courant 10,247 -8%
Western Telegraph 10,247 -8%
Impartial Reporter 10,068 -6%
Great Yarmouth Mercury 10,023 -11%
East Lothian Courier 9,969 -3%
Weston, Worle & Somerset Mercury 9,967 -8%
Tamworth Herald 9,955 -12%
Wales on Sunday 9,898 -15%
Gloucester Citizen 9,611 10%
Clacton Gazette 9,587 -9%
Gloucestershire Echo 9,543 18%
Essex County Standard 9,475 -10%
Dunfermline Press & West of Fife Advertiser 9,245 -9%
Hertfordshire Mercury 9,157 -16%
The Watford Observer 8,991 -10%
West Cumberland Times & Star 8,721 -12%
Craven Herald & Pioneer 8,624 -8%
Dumfries & Galloway Standard (Fri) 8,612 -9%
Bath Chronicle 8,587 -9%
Bury Times 8,459 -10%
Cornishman 8,430 -18%
Hamilton Advertiser 8,404 -13%
Carmarthen Journal 8,372 -14%
Lowestoft Journal 8,326 -13%
Malvern Gazette 8,291 -6%
Guardian (Northwich, Winsford & Middlewich) 8,192 -10%
Kentish Express 7,951 -10%
Loughborough Echo 7,913 -12%
Inverness Courier (Fri) 7,719 -10%
Northern Scot 7,665 -14%
Leek Post & Times 7,658 -9%
Brentwood Gazette 7,579 -15%
Staffordshire Newsletter 7,523 -11%
Rochdale Observer (Sat) 7,490 -15%
Hampshire Chronicle 7,489 -6%
Kilmarnock Standard 7,474 -12%
Stroud News & Journal 7,350 -3%
Gloucestershire Gazette 7,347 -9%
The Oxford Times 7,283 -9%
Boston Target 7,232 -9%
Whitehaven News 7,225 -14%
Hinckley Times 7,221 -11%
Basingstoke Gazette 7,204 -11%
Reading Chronicle 7,201 0%
Yorkshire – Gazette & Herald 7,099 -7%
Wiltshire Times 7,085 -8%
Welwyn Hatfield Times 7,084 -18%
Chester Chronicle 7,023 -16%
East Kent Mercury 6,998 -9%
Andover Advertiser 6,823 -10%
Crewe Chronicle 6,821 -13%
Llanelli Star 6,770 -13%
Surrey Mirror 6,766 -16%
Oldham Times 6,737
Keighley News 6,730 -8%
Braintree & Witham Times 6,634 -12%
Black Country Bugle 6,614 -14%
Kentish Gazette 6,487 -9%
Bridgwater Mercury 6,324 -10%
Macclesfield Express 6,318 -11%
Wilts & Glos Standard 6,284 -8%
Croydon Advertiser 6,203 -11%
Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald 6,192 -9%
The Mid Devon Gazette 6,097 -12%
Perthshire Advertiser (Fri) 6,067 -12%
Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser 6,046 -15%
Isle of Thanet Gazette 6,016 -23%
The Herald 5,919 -9%
Sevenoaks Chronicle 5,669 -16%
West Highland Free Press 5,600 -8%
Rossendale Free Press 5,579 -13%
The West Lothian Courier 5,555 -13%
Bridport News 5,458 -8%
Accrington Observer 5,343 -14%
Stranraer & Wigtownshire Free Press 5,260 -8%
Inverness Courier (Tue) 5,253 -12%
Stockport Express 5,217 -18%
Herts & Essex Observer 5,184 -25%
Mid Somerset Journal 5,130 -16%
Mid Somerset Gazette 5,120 -13%
South Shropshire Journal 5,079 -8%
North Wales Weekly News 5,072 -21%
Retford Times 5,069 -9%
Stirling Observer (Wed) 5,054 -3%
John O’Groat Journal 5,048 -7%
Lennox Herald 5,045 -10%
Campbeltown Courier & Argyllshire Advertiser 5,039 -5%
Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser 5,023 -15%
Dumfries & Galloway Standard (Wed) 5,009 -9%
Maldon & Burnham Standard 4,950 -9%
The Galloway News 4,849 -8%
Runcorn & Widnes Weekly News 4,809 -13%
Glamorgan Gazette 4,779 -15%
Falmouth & Helston Packet 4,703 -7%
Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser 4,669 -7%
Romsey Advertiser 4,642 -8%
Aldershot News & Mail 4,607 -16%
Bridgnorth Journal 4,589 -13%
Exmouth Journal 4,566 -16%
East Kilbride News 4,552 -10%
Wishaw Press 4,509 -9%
Sheerness Times Guardian 4,503 -11%
Harwich & Manningtree Standard 4,447 -7%
Witney Gazette 4,430 -7%
Tivy-Side Advertiser 4,394 -8%
Sidmouth Herald 4,386 -12%
Newport Advertiser 4,383 -12%
Knutsford Guardian 4,289 -4%
North Norfolk News 4,273 -12%
Annandale Observer 4,260 -7%
Ross-shire Journal 4,213 -11%
Rochdale Observer (Wed) 4,031 -20%
Dereham & Fakenham Times 3,945 -11%
Sittingbourne News Extra 3,898 -10%
South Wales Guardian 3,844 -8%
Bucks Advertiser & Examiner 3,786 -18%
Clydebank Post 3,745 -10%
Caithness Courier 3,743 -8%
Dover Express 3,702 -21%
Barking & Dagenham Post 3,699 -13%
Somerset Guardian 3,698 -16%
Cumnock Chronicle 3,688 -7%
Medway Messenger (Monday) 3,680 -12%
Beccles & Bungay Journal 3,640 -10%
Ashbourne News Telegraph 3,629 -10%
East Coast and The Wolds Target 3,585 -12%
Caernarfon & Denbigh Herald 3,517 -28%
Epping Forest Guardian 3,495 -14%
Slough Eton & Windsor Observer 3,474 -11%
Helensburgh Advertiser 3,463 -7%
Gravesend & Dartford Messenger 3,421 -8%
Birmingham Post 3,362 -19%
Chard & Ilminster News 3,307 -9%
Irvine Herald and Kilwinning Chronicle 3,262 -11%
Frome Standard 3,248 -17%
Free Press Monmouthshire & Pontypool 3,216 -7%
Highland News 3,201 -17%
Penarth Times 3,152 -5%
Central Fife Times & Advertiser 3,150 -9%
Sleaford Target 3,134 -5%
Peeblesshire News 3,134 -6%
Holyhead and Bangor Mail 3,120 -25%
Ludlow Advertiser 3,084 -3%
Halstead Gazette 3,067 -9%
Southport Visiter 3,059 -26%
Paisley & Renfrewshire Gazette 3,036 -7%
Largs & Millport Weekly News 3,015 -10%
Barry & District News 2,979 -8%
Ilkley Gazette 2,938 -8%
Arran Banner 2,930 0%
Strathspey & Badenoch Herald 2,903 -8%
Annandale Herald and Moffat News 2,805 -10%
Merthyr Express 2,798 -22%
Perthshire Advertiser (Tue) 2,760 -14%
Bracknell News 2,706 -11%
Border Telegraph 2,627 -5%
Northern Times 2,592 -6%
Wharfedale & Aireborough Observer 2,554 -7%
Bicester Advertiser 2,532 -9%
Waltham Forest Guardian 2,508 -14%
Uttoxeter Advertiser 2,320 -14%
Stirling Observer (Fri) 2,262 -2%
Rutherglen Reformer 2,233 -3%
Ayr Advertiser 2,231 -2%
Burnham & Highbridge Weekly News 2,097 -5%
Rhondda Leader 2,075 -21%
Banffshire Journal 2,051 -23%
Middleton Guardian 1,936 -25%
The Banffshire Advertiser 1,889 -15%
Irvine Times 1,831 -12%
North Star 1,828 -17%
The Huntly Express 1,803 -11%
Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Reporter 1,764 -9%
Forres Gazette 1,733 -13%
Folkestone & Hythe Express 1,717 10%
Faversham News 1,710 -10%
Ormskirk Advertiser 1,702 -28%
Milford Mercury 1,689 -7%
Hackney Gazette 1,681 -6%
Pontypridd & Llantrisant Observer 1,681 -17%
Herne Bay Gazette 1,680 -5%
Cynon Valley Leader 1,623 -18%
Heywood Advertiser 1,518 -23%
Wanstead & Woodford Guardian 1,405 -54%
Gwent Gazette 1,366 -17%
East Grinstead Courier 1,350 -60%
Blairgowrie Advertiser 1,279 -6%
The Banffshire Herald 1,244 -16%
Strathearn Herald 1,235 -10%
Prestwich and Whitefield Guide 1,186 -12%
Ham & High Broadway 524 -12%

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