The Kent Messenger has become the best selling regional weekly newspaper inthe country.

Confirmation of the newspaper's record sales figures has come from the AuditBureau of Circulation, the media industry's independent watchdog.

ABC statistics show that in the last six months of 2001, the Kent Messenger sold on average 57,841 copies each week, an increase of more than 20 per cent on the same period the previous year.

Since 1994, sales of the Kent Messenger have risen by 41.9 per cent.

Kent Messenger Group managing director DavidLewis said: "We are delighted to have taken over the top sales spot in the country'sregional weekly press.

"This latest ABC success is part of agrowing sales trend for the Kent Messenger. All the indications are that theresults for the first half of 2002 will be even better.

"This is an outstanding tribute to the hard work of our staff and theloyalty of our readers and advertisers."

The Kent Messenger was named Weekly Newspaper of the Year in the 2001Newspaper Awards and is the flagship publication of the Kent Messenger Group.

The overall sales of the KMG paid-for weeklies stand at 145,972 (ABCJuly-Dec, 2001) a 9.3 per cent increase over the same period last year and a54.5 per cent increase since 1994.

KMG chairman Edwin Boorman, whose family has owned the Kent Messenger sincethe 1880s, is this year's president of the Newspaper Society.

The group, which owns a series of paid-for and free newspapers, plus radiostations and new media services, featured in the Sunday Times Top 50 fastestgrowing private companies and was also singled out for inclusion in theSunday Times Best 50 companies to work for.

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