While readers go on holiday the battle for them continues. Newspapers simply follow them to the coasts around Britain and Europe. The Independents reports that "with the help of new technology, circulation departments are increasingly skilled at tracking down their customers to their holiday retreats."

Newspapers are using, sometimes together with their rivals, satellite plants in other countries. Some are printing the whole year, some only in summer. The Guardian prints in Frankfurt, Madrid and Roubaix, France all year and in Marseilles from May to September. The Sun tries printing in France, in Nantes and Marseilles, this summer. The Daily Mail prints in Marseilles, Seville, Valencia, Tenerife, Majorca, Athens, Belgium and Florida. Because of declining printing costs such experiments are possible.

While boosting circulation is one reason, albeit oversea sales remain small, the key motive is maintaining brand loyalty. The Independent cites Richard Furness, circulation manager at The Guardian: "The worst possible scenario would be for one of our readers to pick up a compact ... while they were on holiday because The Guardian wasn't there. That would be an own goal. It isn't just a commercial matter; you have a responsibility to your readers to be available where and when they want you."

Source: The Independent