Economist removed from WH Smith following dispute

by Alex Donohue, Brand Republic 17-May-06, 13:00

LONDON - The Economist has been removed from the shelves of more than 500 WH Smith's shops across the UK, following a contractual dispute between publisher and retailer.

A spokesperson for WH Smith said the decision was made after a "breakdown of terms and negotiations" with The Economist, with neither party willing to disclose any further details.

The title, which is published by Pearson, has now been withdrawn from 542 WH Smith's high street stores and will not be available until the dispute is settled.

The Economist will still be on sale at 127 of WH Smith's outlets in train stations and airports, but the news will come as a blow to editor John Micklethwait's plans to double the title's global circulation over the next decade from 40,000 a week.

Micklethwait took over as editor of The Economist in March following the resignation of Bill Emmott in February.

In April, The Economist and The Times printed the UK intelligence agency MI6's first press ads, in a move designed to recruit administrators, analysts, linguists and IT experts from a broader ethnic and economic background.

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