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Four agencies, including incumbent The Law Firm, which won the account last November, have been invited to pitch through the AAR.

Andrew Mullins, managing director of the Evening Standard, confirmed that the newspaper is talking to other agencies. Last November, Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi and TBWA\London pitched for the work alongside The Law Firm; it is understood that these three agencies have not been invited to repitch.

The Evening Standard has suffered following last September's launch of Associated Newspapers' own freesheet London Lite and News International's thelondonpaper.

In response, Associated has repositioned the Evening Standard as a more upmarket paper, increasing its cover price from 40p to 50p. However, its circulation fell to 266,575 in March.

The newspaper's poor performance has undermined positive results at Associated Newspapers. The group saw revenue rise 5% to £231m for the six months to 1 April, excluding the Evening Standard, as parent firm Daily Mail & General Trust reported a 24% increase in pre-tax profits to £135.3m for the period.

Separately, Associated is launching a website for the Evening Standard's Homes & Property magazine, as part of a brand extension strategy.