The Manchester-based title, which is independently funded, hopes to sell 15,000 copies a week, and will target readers as far south as Cheshire and as far north as Cumbria.
However, the launch comes at a tough time for regional newspapers in the north-west, with the Manchester Evening News' circulation now down to 133,801, a third of what was when it launched 20 years ago. Next week, the MEN plans to give away 50,000 copies in an attempt to stem its declining readership.
Robert Waterhouse, editor of The North West Enquirer, said the title would be unique in featuring stories and articles not covered in the nationals. It will not carry TV listings, but will focus on the region's economic and social diversity, claiming it will benefit from covering an "interesting region".
Waterhouse said: "No other region of England offers the combination of two great cities -- Manchester and Liverpool - seven Premiership football clubs, three major orchestras, three international airports, a share of three national parks, a coastline linking Wales with Scotland, and so on. We're not bragging, just making a point."
Yet despite its optimism, The North West Enquirer will need to buck the trend of declining regional newspaper sales. The Manchester Evening News' experimental "lite" edition proved to have mixed results, attracting 11,000 new readers, 80% of which were in the ABC1 bracket.
However, the MEN abridged edition did not push overall circulation past 150,000 as hoped, and the paper is now focusing on increasing its circulation in the greater Manchester area.
The Trinity Mirror-owned Liverpool Echo fell 5% to 123,584 in the latest ABC ratings. The Newspaper Society, the regional publishers' trade body, said its members were now investing more in new platforms, highlighting a marked increase in new media activity, which now extends to more than 500 websites.
The North West Enquirer announced in February that it had appointed a 14-strong editorial team, headed by managing director Nick Jaspan. The title, which will be distributed by the FT, appointed Manchester-based consultancy agency Glorious Creative to design the paper.
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