Standard Raises Price As London Lite Launches

The Evening Standard has raised its price to 50p in an attempt to differentiate itself from the new afternoon freesheets hitting the market.

Associated Newspapers intends the 10p price hike to make clear the difference between the paper and its new stablemate London Lite, which launches today, and the News International offering thelondonpaper, due to launch next Monday.

Veronica Wadley, editor of the Evening Standard was keen to point out that although the paper’s price has risen, it is still lower than that of many titles, amongst them the Times, The Daily Telegraph, the Guardian and the Independent.

Trial copies of London Lite were distributed last Friday and more were printed yesterday, ahead of today’s official launch, with 400,000 copies given away (see Lunchtime News War Starts Today).

London Lite replaces the Evening Standards’ free lunchtime copy, Standard Lite, which stopped being produced on the 23rd of this month (see Standard Lite Confirms Closure With New Freesheet Launch).

Associated Newspapers: www.associatednewspapers.com