Associated confirms London Lite will replace Standard Lite

by Olivia Solon, Media Week 16-Aug-06, 12:07

Associated Newspapers confirmed today that it will launch London Lite, a new free London paper, and axe the Standard Lite, next month.

London Lite will be hand-distributed in Zone 1 each weekday afternoon from noon, with a circulation of 350,000 to 400,000 copies. The Standard Lite will be discontinued at the same time.
The London Lite aims to protect Associated's London dominance when News International launches thelondonpaper on 18 September.

The Standard will make some changes to edition times but will be sold in the same locations.

Associated has also redesigned the Standard's website, www.thisislondon.co.uk, which has 1.3m users per month, ahead of a full relaunch as an entertainment guide on 21 August.
"We intend to build on the Evening Standard's great reputation for news and quality journalism," said Veronica Wadley, editor of the Evening Standard. "The paper has the highest number of AB readers of any newspaper in London, and the largest circulation of any national paper in the capital with the exception of the Daily Mail."
Media Week revealed plans for the London Lite earlier this month (http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/search/index.cfm?fuseaction=details&nNewsID=576149).