A regional daily is relaunching as a “bumper weekly” this week after publishing its final daily edition on Saturday.

After 145 years as a daily title, the Hartlepool Mail is going weekly from Thursday with its cover price increasing from 90p to £1.30.

The Mail becomes the second JPIMedia daily to relaunch as a “bumper weekly” in the past year, echoing a move made at the Wigan Post in August.

First published in 1877 as the Northern Daily Mail, The Mail recorded an average circulation of 1,570 over the course of 2021, according to the latest ABC figures.

The frequency change and cover price rise were revealed in a letter to newsagents from Mail publisher JPIMedia that trade body the National Federation of Retail Newsagents has since published on Twitter.

It states: “Please note that we have taken the decision to change the frequency of the Hartlepool Mail from a daily title to an all new bumper weekly publication.

“The new Hartlepool Mail will be bigger, brighter and will include all the regular news, sport and features of our current publication and much more.

“The first weekly edition of the Hartlepool Mail will be published Thursday 17th March and will then publish on every subsequent Thursday. Please ensure that from 17th March the Hartlepool Mail is well displayed in store and kept on sale for a full 7 days.”

The letter continues: “To launch the new weekly edition we will be running a fantastic 7-week in-paper promotion featuring Hartlepool United’s greatest heroes.

“On the launch week, every copy of the Hartlepool Mail will include a full colour glossy A2 sized Hartlepool United poster. The poster will include six blank A6 sized spaces.

“Every week for the next six weeks, the Mail will include a collectable colour postcard of a Hartlepool United Hero to go with the poster.”

Tim Robinson, Managing Editor of JPIMedia said: “The print edition of the Hartlepool Mail is entering a new era as it is becomes a bumper weekly publication with our first new-look paper out on the newsstands on 17 March.

“The new Mail will be packed with many of its existing most popular features – as well lots of new content, columnists and great weekly reads in news and sport.

“We are all proud of the paper which has served the Hartlepool area since 1877 and are looking forward to its latest exciting incarnation.

“The new-look paper is the result of months of planning and we already know our readers are eagerly anticipating its arrival next week.”