The revamp of The Guardian into the 'Berliner' size, used by many European papers including Le Monde in France, will be followed by sister Sunday newspaper The Observer in early 2006.
Guardian Newspapers had planned a relaunch in 2006 for its daily newspaper, but the newspaper group has been rattled by slipping circulation figures as rival The Independent, which went tabloid 18 months ago, gains ground. Circulation-wise, The Guardian is down 2.84% year on year to 372,562, while The Independent is up 2.31% to 263,043.
News that The Guardian was accelerating plans was first talked about in April when it was reported that it could switch to a smaller format.
Media buyers are said to have been shown dummy editions of an A3 format of the newspaper, which featured three main stories on the front page, along with a picture.
The original plan had been to introduce a Berliner format in 2006. There were reports of technical difficulties in going for an early launch as Guardian Media Group invested £50m in presses for the smaller format.
Carolyn McCall, chief executive of Guardian Newspapers, said the early move was testament to the remarkable progress the newspaper group and its press and printing partners had made.
"Just over a year ago we made one of the most important decisions in the 184-year history of The Guardian, and the 213-year history of The Observer. To design both papers again completely from scratch. To launch them in a new format never before seen in the UK. To build our own print centre and install the most modern presses in the newspaper industry. To position our papers as the first of a new generation of full-colour national newspapers.
"The remarkable progress we have made is testament to the professionalism and commitment of our staff, our press partner, MAN Roland, and our print partners, Trafford Park and Newsfax International," she said.
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