Metro UK Launches New Editions In Five New Cities
Metro UK is expanding its network of free-sheet newspapers to a further five cities across the country, in a move that will boost the paper’s overall circulation to around 1 million.
From the end of May the Associated Newspaper-owned title will be given away free to commuters in Bristol, Bath, Leicester, Derby and Nottingham, placing it just behind the Sun, the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror in terms of distribution.
The new editions will be published in partnership with Northcliffe Newspapers, which will handle local advertising sales. Metro also has deals with Trinity Mirror, Johnson Press and Guardian Media Group to publish other local editions of the title.
Commenting on the move, Doug Read, Metro‘s executive director, said: “This is a natural extension for Metro because the areas have high proportions of young urbanites. The more of these young up-market, full-time workers we can add to our national sales proposition the better.”
Metro expects the new editions will help it exceed the £2 million it made in profits last year and hopes advertisers will continue to be drawn to its offering. In the past it has reportedly had to turn away national display ads due to a shortage of space.
The morning free-sheet has been one of newspaper industry’s biggest success stories in recent years with 450,000 copies distributed in London alone each weekday. Around 63% of Metro readers are ABC1s and a further 75% are aged between 15 and 44.
The latest ABC figures show that the Metro titles increased their overall distribution by 7.4% year on year to 892,666 in December. Analysis over a longer period paints an ever more positive picture for the title, which has seen its popularity improve steadily.
Associated Newspapers is considering expanding into a range of other urban centres including Liverpool, Cardiff, Portsmouth and Southampton. However, Read added: “We’ve always got new cities on our radar – but the moment we have no firm plans for further expansion.”
Earlier this month Metro UK formed a partnership with Swedish-based Metro International to offer advertising opportunities to brands looking to target commuters across Europe. The joint sales initiative lets advertisers reach a combined daily audience of around 10.4 million consumers (see Free-Sheet Publishers Combine For Advertising Deal).
Metro: 0207 963 7729 www.metro.co.uk
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