A city daily which pioneered the part-free distribution model is now reversing its sales plans.

The Manchester Evening News started handing out free copies of the paper six days a week in the city centre area in May 2006, with customers in outlying towns and districts having to pay the cover price.

But the company announced today that from early next year it would be giving away 90,000 copies free on Thursdays and Fridays only.

The MEN will be available as a paid-for only title on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Ruth Spratt, managing director of MEN Media, said: “The Manchester Evening News is our flagship title and we believe that the new distribution model will benefit paid-for sales on Monday to Wednesday whilst continuing to provide advertisers with the high volume readership they have come to expect on Thursday and Friday.

“The challenge ahead is to continually look for innovative ways to flex all elements of our portfolio to provide readers and advertisers with the most effective media offering whether through print, broadcast or online.”

As a result of its part paid-for, part-free distribution model, the MEN decided to opt out of the Audit Bureau of Circulations twice-yearly regional press sales figures reports in August.