UK: distributing The Sun the freesheet way

Posted by Jean Yves Chainon on September 4, 2007 at 1:41 PM

After decreasing its cover price to 20p in London, The Sun will be trying new distribution methods by setting vendors throughout the city during the morning rush, and from 11:30am to 2:30 pm, before thelondonpaper begins its own distribution.

100 vendors, dressed in run and branded with Sun logos, will sell the paper at various high traffic locations.

"This is a bold move from News International to bolster circulation, and whilst it increases visibility for the title, one has to question the publics' receptiveness to yet another newspaper vendor - free or paid for,” said Dayna Slate, media manager at Carat.

It will be interesting to see how this move impacts the circulations of existing freebies, and readers’ own receptiveness to an increasing pool of street vendors and publications. Newsstands are likely to also lose revenue from sales of The Sun, the most popular newspaper in the UK.

There is no set time limit for this experiment, which could be kept around if the initial figures are positive. If it works out, this could also prompt other newspapers to try this distribution model.

Source: Brand Republic