Today's (11 February) magazine ABC figures for the second half of 2009 reveals Time Out's total circulation dropped 4.6% from the first half to 61,397.
Despite representing a new low for the city magazine, and a fall of 8.9% year on year, it is a marked improvement on its previous two audits, which have tracked period declines nearer 10% and annual drops around 20%.
Time Out continues to lose subscription sales at an alarming rate, with copies down 12.9% on the first half 2009 and an eye-watering 20.7% year on year.
But this has been partially offset by a 3.4% lift at the newsstands, the first time newsstand sales have increased in an ABC period by more than a single percentage-point since 1993, when sales rallied by just 1%.
This relatively strong newsstand performance, bucking industry trends and a tough economic climate, has been welcomed by editor Mark Frith, who officially took control of the title last summer.
Under Frith's tenure, the magazine has been revamped and taking the lead of its sibling in New York has produced more theme-led issues and populist front covers.
Frith said: "In the last six months, we've seen the first meaningful increase in news-stand since the 1990s and I'm very proud of what has been achieved over that period. It's only the beginning, though, and we have big plans for 2010."
Last month, after reporting "challenging" market conditions.
The move follows the group posting pre-tax losses of more than £3m for 2008 yesterday, more than double its losses of £1.35m reported the year before.
Founder Tony Elliott, who has had to inject in the region of £3m to ensure it remains a "going concern", will be slightly buoyed by today's results, although he'll be hoping to stop copy declines altogether by August.
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