Ciar Byrne
Friday September 6, 2002
The Guardian
Sales of the Daily Mirror have slumped to a new low one year after September 11, the event that prompted editor Piers Morgan to turn his paper into a "serious" read.
Between March and August the Mirror's circulation dropped to an average of 2,114,666 copies, a 4.13% decline year on year.
It is the paper's lowest six-month figure to be recorded by the Audit Bureau of Circulations since the auditor was founded in 1931.
In comparison, the Sun increased its circulation by 0.08% over the same period to 3,506,773, while the Daily Star rose 14.46% to a six-month average of 691,777.
The slump is not as bad as it appears, according to the Mirror, which attributed the decline to its decision to axe bulk sales and reduce its direct marketing efforts.
"The Daily Mirror has again reinforced its reputation as the home of serious journalism, ensuring it continues to perform well ahead of target," the paper said in a statement today.
The Mirror added that when the effects of sampling and direct marketing were taken out of the equation, the decline was actually just 0.6%.
Morgan has repeatedly said that when the Sun, which currently sells for 10p in the London/Carlton region, goes back up to 20p, it will immediately lose readers.
But a spokeswoman for News International, the Sun's publisher, said the company was "delighted" with its latest circulation figures.
"We'll have to wait and see what happens. Pricing is all about getting people to try the product and it is working for us," he said.
"We've got a lot more experience of pricing than they [Trinity Mirror] have."
A bitter price war broke out between the tabloids earlier this year when the Mirror cut its cover price from 32p to 20p.
The Sun followed suit and soon went one better by slashing its price to 10p in the London/Carlton area.
The Mirror still sells for 20p in London and other parts of the country but has gone back up to 32p in its northern heartland.
Overall the price cuts have cost the Mirror £2.3m and the Sun £7m.
However, Rupert Murdoch, the owner of News International, has much deeper pockets than Trinity Mirror.
The Sun, Mirror and Star all increased their circulation since July.
This rise can be attributed to the start of the football season and coverage of the events in Soham.
The Sunday tabloids also increased their sales month on month, while declining year on year.
The People, from the same stable as the Mirror, recorded its highest circulation since January of 1,341,825 thanks to last month's relaunch, which introduced a standalone sports section.
However, the People's sales declined by 5.06% year on year.