Below is publisher comment from The Guardian and The Sun:
The Guardian
The Guardian has had a stellar month with an increase in print sales year on year, and a month on month increase for the fifth month in a row. The last time the Guardian had a rise year on year in sold copies was August 2006 – following the format change to the Berliner (Sept 2005). The Guardian is bucking the trend and one of the only qualities to report a year on year increase in the past eight years.
This strong January performance comes off the back of the launch of the new Saturday supplement Do Something and a range of marketing activities including the third instalment of the Own the Weekendcampaign. The launch day of the supplement, January 11, saw the highest sale since the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. This comes against the backdrop of a 20p price rise.
The Observer performed strongly in the Sunday market, recording increases both month on month (1.4%) and year on year (0.1%), making it the only Sunday title to record a year on year increase. Observer Food Monthly continues to be a strong draw for readers.
* The Guardian sale is 207,958; up 4,889 copies month on month or 2.4%
* Year on year the Guardian is up 3,518 copies, or 1.7%
* The Guardian Monday to Friday sale is 166,034; down 1,790 copies or 1.1% month on month
* Year on year the Monday to Friday Guardian is up 2,524 copies, or 1.5%
* The Saturday Guardian sale is 365,170; up 14,065 copies, or 4% month on month
* Year on year the Saturday Guardian is up 7,248 copies, or 2%
* The Observer sale is 225,474; up 3,122 copies, or 1.4% month on month
* Year on year the Observer is up 280 copies or 0.1%
David Pemsel, chief commercial officer, said: "It's fantastic to see our continued and steady growth in print sales - we have had a stellar January with the hugely successful launch of our new Saturday supplement 'Do Something', which saw the highest day of sales since the London 2012 Olympic Games, and has seen us increase our sales year on year - a remarkable achievement.
"We have been investing in our print offering and are supporting this with a range of marketing activities, including the third instalment of 'Own the Weekend', so it's very encouraging to see more and more people actively choosing to pick up a copy of the Guardian."
The Sun
The Sun has seen a month-on-month increase of 8.3% with the ABC reporting sales figures for January of 2,213,659 - the biggest month-on-month uplift of all the daily tabloids. Combined with The Sun’s 100,000 digital subscribers, there is a total paid audience of 2,313,659.
The ABC has reported sales figures of 1,800,830 for the Sunday edition – a month-on-month increase of 7.9% - the biggest sales uplift of all the national Sunday tabloid newspapers. The Mail on Sunday and The Sunday Mirror reported month-on-month uplifts of 1% and 1.5% respectively. Including The Sun’s 100,000 digital subscribers The Sun on Sunday’s total paid sales stands at 1,900,830.
The Sun on Sunday’s revelation that boxing star Amir Khan had cheated on his pregnant wife and their candid interview with Jim Davidson yielded strong sales, along with the paper’s £9.50 holidays and 2 for 1 Days Out promotion.
David Dinsmore, Editor of The Sun, says: “It is very encouraging to see a rise in print sales with The Sun outperforming the entire tabloid market in January. Last year The Sun crossed the 100,000 digital subscriber milestone in only four months. Our success in the digital arena, combined with a series of fantastic scoops gives us great confidence for the rest of 2014.”
Unlike other newspapers The Sun does not have any bulk or multiple sale deals so these figures are an accurate reflection of total paid sales.
