Colour upgrade boosts Associated ad revenue

by Josh Brooks, PrintWeek 23-Mar-05, 15:03

Associated Newspapers’ £135m investment at flexo plant Harmsworth Quays has allowed it to push up colour advertising revenues by almost a quarter.

A trading update released yesterday showed that the massive investment in colour capacity for The Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday and The Evening Standard has brought a 23% increase in income from colour ads in the last three months.

The five-year upgrade to Docklands-based Harmsworth Quays, the world's largest flexo newspaper plant, was completed in November.

Its eight eight-unit KBA Courier presses allow it to print The Daily Mail at 128pp with 64pp of colour, and The Mail on Sunday at 168pp with 128pp of colour at up to 80,000cph.
See earlier story.

The trading update also revealed that since the launch of free lunchtime paper Evening Standard Lite in December, overall circulation for the Evening Standard has increased by 4% year-on-year, despite a 10% fall in paid-for sales.

Story by Josh Brooks