The Guardian achieved the best performance of any daily last month, with a headline circulation of 198,803, up 1,261 copies (0.64%) on a strong September, according to the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations report.
The paper cites editorial highlights that include its coverage of the Ralph Miliband row and the Qatar World Cup, as well as its ongoing coverage of the NSA and GCHQ leaks.
However, there have also been a number of marketing activities taking place over the last two months two, including the second wave of its Own the Weekend ad campaign by Bartle Bogle Hegarty, which ran across outdoor sites. The daily paper has also been part of an ongoing promotion at Waitrose, where shoppers receive the newspaper for free as part of a wider shop (the Daily Telegraph is also involved in this offer).
Its sibling The Observer saw the biggest month on month percentage rise in the Sunday market, adding an additional 5,235 copies sold month on month (+2.3%). The rise will be especially welcomed following its 20p price rise to £2.70 in September.
A Guardian News & Media spokesperson says a Nigel Slater 20th anniversary special supplement proved to be "very popular", and the month also hosted the second edition of new supplement Observer Tech Monthly. The paper also launched its new biannual magazine The Fashion.
Elsewhere, October proved to be another tough month for newspaper sales, with most titles reporting drops in circulations, including The Independent’s last outing before its redesign, where figures worryingly stayed below 70,000 for the third successive month.
There were slight lifts for The Financial Times (0.41%), The Sunday Times (1.6%) and the Sunday Telegraph (0.6%). However, the overall trend continues - with all the circulations of British newspapers down year on year.
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