The Liverpool Echo is to switch to a two-edition structure in an attempt to improve circulation performance.

Changing consumer patterns have prompted the move as the newspaper bids to create a bigger sales window at lunchtime.

A new Echo-branded website to carry additional breaking news will also be launched.

From Monday, July 31 the Trinity Mirror newspaper will switch from four to two editions daily, printing at 10.30am (main edition) and 12.30pm (main extra edition).

It currently has four editions; first, main, extra, city, and sells 120,131 (ABC Mon-Sat July ’04 to Jan ’06). It lost four per cent year on year but boasts a 100 per cent actively purchased total.

It will still be able to recast or print a later edition for exceptional late-breaking stories.

Editor Alastair Machray said: “We firmly believe this will improve our selling opportunity by enabling us to get to more outlets earlier in the day. People want the Echo but they want it when it suits them and not simply when we are prepared to give it to them.

“We need to be out on the streets when our customers are.

“We believe these changes will put us in the best position to boost circulation performance.”

He added that online developments were also an opportunity that the Echo needed to fully exploit.

He said: “The development of a new Echo-branded website at the beginning of August will greatly enhance our ability to do this. We need to see Echo.co.uk as an extension of the print product and an outlet for breaking news.

“As part of the changes, more breaking news will be directed to our website. This will become an increasingly important facet of our content delivery, particularly later in the day.”