The new Sunday red-top will be the first new tabloid entry into the national newspaper market since Today, the colour newspaper launched independently by Eddie Shah in the Eighties and later taken over by News Corporation.
Desmond is understood to have ordered a print run of 700,000 for the first issue of the newspaper. He is said to be aiming to blow the Sunday People out of the market.
The Sunday People has a circulation of 1.33m, setting the Star a considerable mountain to climb as a new entrant to the fiercely competitive Sunday newspaper market. Desmond had previously been named as one of the people interested in buying the Sunday People, should Trinity Mirror sell the title.
Despite confirming a launch date, Desmond has yet to appoint an editor and decide on staffing levels. The issue of staffing is a bone of contention at Express Newspapers, where journalists are currently set for industrial action over pay and conditions.
The newspaper's tone is also said to be undecided. However, it is likely to follow the downmarket circulation-winning format of the Daily Star, which has seen its circulation rise 12.8% to 683,000 year on year.
Daily Star editor Peter Hill is thought not to be in consideration for the role, as it is believed Desmond may intend to follow the tradition of other Sunday newspapers and keep it separate from its daily sister title.
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