The Manchester Evening News is to launch a free late afternoon edition in a bid to reach new readers in the city centre.

A 'lite' version of the newspaper will hit the streets for the first time on March 21, and will be available after 4.30pm each day, after production of the MEN as a paid-for has been completed.

Editor Paul Horrocks said the new edition, which will contain a blend of news, lifestyle features and entertainment, would be designed to appeal to commuters who typically do not buy any newspaper as they leave the city each evening.

He said: "Our plan is to soft launch the Lite edition on the 21st and quickly build thereafter to the target circulation of 10,000 copies per night.

"This will be the fourth edition of the MEN and will be aimed at people travelling out of the city after 4.30pm."

The MEN Lite is the latest move by the paper to extend its reach and attract more readers, after launching an early morning breakfast edition in November.

The paper currently has a daily circulation of around 150,000, but it is understood that sales drop significantly in the afternoon.

Managing director David Benjamin said: "Our objective is to capture the largest audience share in Manchester. However, readership habits have changed and it is no longer possible to satisfy this objective with one homogeneous product.

"Instead, we regard the MEN as a portfolio of complementary products each of which is relevant to specific audience groups. We have an early edition for inbound commuters, a lunchtime edition for office workers, a home delivered edition for the traditional reader and now a Lite edition for outbound commuters."

Deputy managing director Mark Rix said the move would also be of benefit to advertisers.

He said: "We can now effectively target a wider range of readers throughout the day and deliver far greater and more diverse audiences for our advertisers.

"Our commercial priority is to ensure that we continue to deliver cost effective, high quality response for our advertising customers."