The Yorkshire Post added more than 12,600 to its average weekly sale with its coverage of the start of the Tour de France, publisher Johnston Press has revealed.
The flagship daily pulled out the stops in the run-up to the event and on the weekend of Le Grand Depart by bringing out five supplements and publishing on a Sunday for the first time since the funeral of Princess Diana.
JP has now revealed that the paper added 8,349 sales on Saturday 5 July – an increase of 14.6pc on the previous week.
And across the week the series of supplements helped boost the overall performance by an extra 12,696 copies.
Saturday’s paper included a special souvenir edition of the paper’s weekly magazine, while in the week beforehand there was a 68-page8-page Tour de France-themed Yorkshire Vision glossy magazine.
Circulation figures from the Sunday edition – only the second such edition in the paper’s history – are not yet available.
Richard Thomson, group sales and circulation director at Johnston Press, said: “The Yorkshire Post managed to completely own the local media coverage over the weekend – both in print and online – and the boost in sales figures is a real testament to the incredible efforts of the whole team there.
“The coverage was second-to-none and obviously appreciated by both locals and visitors across the county.
“Sunday’s special edition – which featured a spectacular image-led wraparound, has also proved to be a huge success and is still selling well.”
The Yorkshire Post website also had a 62pc uplift in visitor numbers and 131pc uplift in page impressions over the Grand Depart weekend.
Sign up for our free daily email bulletin
Follow HTFP on Twitter
Got a story? Email the Editor at
Just got to find another 300 days of mega-stories and the decline is halted!
Report this comment
Absolutely world class coverage and a great collaboration between departments.
300 more mega stories? The TDF has shown what can be done when everyone pulls together: With future collaborations and strong planning the future is bright and full of opportunity.
Report this comment
I don’t understand this – were there 12,000 extra copies sold over the whole week? About 2,000 a day? Or 12,000 extra copies every day? If it is the latter, that’s pretty impressive … if it’s the former, it’s not. As you keep telling us, 2.5-million came to watch the show … and only 12,000 extra bought a paper. Tells you something.
Report this comment
I’mABitSlow, you’re right, you’re very slow. Get your head around the logistical challenges of operating around this event and then phone a friend #tool
Report this comment
So, Bob, what was the answer?
Report this comment
People are living in a dream world if they think newspapers (the physical product) are relevant in the modern world. A one-off sales boost – what does that mean or prove? I’m not dancing on the grave of newspapers, just stating fact.
Report this comment
Isn’t it the physical product that has made the revenue? Why do some seem intent on rushing through the transition to digital? (In my opinion, digital will not stand alone either). The extra sales will have been at full price, not subscription, so well done YP/EP. It is to be hoped, however, that the copies sold didn’t all suffer from the production problems that clearly beset my ‘Grand Depart’ supplement, and that the further supplements looked OK.
Bob the bulk sale builder – no further (polite) comment for I’mABitSlow?
Report this comment
For the benefit of those who have claimed this story is unclear, here is the press release from The Yorkshire Post in full.
****
The Yorkshire Post added almost 8,500 sales on Saturday, boosted by its Tour de France Le Grand Depart coverage – which included a special souvenir edition of its magazine.
The Johnston Press-owned title pulled out all the stops both in the run-up to the event and on the weekend itself. Saturday’s sales increased by 8,369 copies, which represented a +14.6% increase week-on-week.
A 68-page Tour de France-themed Yorkshire Vision glossy magazine highlighting the business opportunities the Tour de France gave to the county, and issued a few days before Le Grand Depart, helped lift the week’s overall performance by an extra 12,696 copies (vs the previous week).
The title also printed a Sunday edition for only the second time in its history (the first time being the death of Dianna, Princess of Wales) although the sales figures from that are not yet available.
Richard Thomson, Group Sales and Circulation Director at Johnston Press, said: “The Yorkshire Post managed to completely own the local media coverage over the weekend – both in print and online – and the boost in sales figures is a real testament to the incredible efforts of the whole team there. The coverage was second-to-none and obviously appreciated by both locals and visitors across the county.
“Sunday’s special edition – which featured a spectacular image-led wraparound, has also proved to be a huge success and is still selling well.”
An exclusive Yorkshire Post online live feed was also a hit as it curated content from JP’s own output as well as other organisations and contributors. The social wall used the hashtag #tdfyorks and featured an impressive range of content that provided a ‘to-the-minute’ overview of all the action.
The Yorkshire Post site had a 62% uplift in visitor numbers and 131% uplift in page impressions over the weekend (uplift on the average of the previous four weekends).
Report this comment