±±¾©Èü³µpk10

The launch of the Daily Express proprietor's London afternoon paper has long been mooted and driven the rivalry between Desmond and Associated Newspapers, which also publishes the Daily Mail, to vitriolic levels as the two sides exchange insults.

However, yesterday it was revealed that the Evening Mail, which some doubt will ever be published, would not launch until autumn due to problems arranging distribution for the title.

In an interview in the Financial Times' Creative Business supplement, Anderson said: "He [Desmond] keeps saying he is going to do it. Get on and do it! We are more than ready for anything he has planned. And he has been going on about it forever and ever and ever. Actually, I say: 'Get it on'."

The delay in the launch will heighten speculation that the Evening Mail could simply be a ruse to distract Associated's attention from the Daily Mail, allowing Desmond's Express to close the gap between the two.

In yesterday's ABCs for March, the Daily Mail's circulation was 2,341,999 up 1.03% year on year, while the Express's circulation was 888,145, up 4.21% year on year.

Stan Myerson, joint group managing director of Northern & Shell, responded to Anderson's comments by replying that the Evening Mail would launch when it was least expected.

"We will launch when our competitors least expect it. London is a big market, which is badly served by the Evening Standard," he said.

The delay of the Evening Mail is understood to hinge on the fact that it can not find enough distribution points in London's tube stations, which are tied up in an exclusive contract with Associated for its morning freesheet Metro.

Desmond has lodged a complaint about this arrangement with the Office of Fair Trading, claiming that Associated is effectively operating as a monopoly. The Evening Standard is the only paid-for newspaper published for London and, accordingly, it benefits from its dominant position in recruitment advertising and property ads.

Desmond's plans for a new London evening freesheet have led to a tit-for-tat launch plan from Associated, which is planning a red-top launch to rival Express Newspapers' Daily Star and a celebrity glossy to rival OK! magazine. Associated also applied for an injunction against Desmond using the word "Mail" in the title.

If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .