As a result, Mail Newspapers’ circulation figures will no longer include any copies (currently around 60,000 copies per day) given free of charge by airlines to their customers in airport lounges and departure gates.
Mail Newspapers, in common with the Telegraph – and many other newspapers who have already cancelled similar arrangements - has decided not to renew its existing relationship with British Airways. This arrangement involved copies of the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday being sold to the airline, at significantly discounted prices. It is being ended purely for commercial reasons, and has no connection with editorial policy.
Roland Agambar, Chief Marketing Officer, said: “We have, over a number of years, used multiple copy sales as a method of getting our newspapers into the hands of new and existing readers in places, like airport lounges, where they might not otherwise pick one up.
This activity is a relatively small part of our extensive marketing, promotional and loyalty programme and at this time we’ve decided to focus our efforts on other areas, like our industry-leading loyalty programme, MyMail, and our award-winning HND offering, Deliver My Newspaper.”
Mail Newspapers’ multiple sales activity currently makes up a small percentage of its circulation and while the change will impact the newspapers’ total ABC circulation figure it will have no effect on ‘actively purchased’ copies, or retail sales, the most relevant figure and the standard used by the UK advertising market, retail industry analysts and internally by Mail Newspapers.”
Dan Scott, Circulation Operation Director said: “We base analysis of our circulation on UK retail sale, which is a true reflection of customers paying money for our newspapers. We also look at UK Retail Sales Value and the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday put more money into retailers’ tills than any other daily or Sunday newspaper, as our loyal readers continue to enjoy our high-quality news, sport, features, campaigns and magazines.”
