ABCs: Edinburgh festival season lifts Scottish sales

The Edinburgh festival season provided its annual sales boost for Scottish newspapers, with every title reporting month-on-month circulation increases in August, according to Audit Bureau of Circulations figures published today. Pick of the performers was the Johnston Press-owned and Edinburgh-based Scotland on Sunday, which saw month-on-month sales rise 16.49% to 59,716. However, the title saw circulation fall 8.13% year on year. Its stablemate the Scotsman saw a 7.67% circulation increase, with sales hitting 46,138 on average per day in August. Circulation was down 9.09% year on year. The Scottish edition of the Sun saw circulation rise by about 8,000 copies compared with July to 344,006. Sales of its Scottish redtop rival the Daily Record grew by about 7,000 month-on-month to 300,483 with 1,963 bulks. Sunday Mail Headline circulation: 397,493 Month-on-month change: +2.2% Year-on-year change: -7.26% Daily Record Headline circulation: 331,452 Month-on-month change: +2.23% Year-on-year change: -4.56% Sunday Post Headline circulation: 328,710 Month-on-month change: +0.96% Year-on-year change: -7.37% Scotland on Sunday Headline circulation: 59,716 Month-on-month change: +16.49% Year-on-year change: -8.13% The Herald Headline circulation: 55,135 Month-on-month change: +5.66% Year-on-year change: -5.2% The Scotsman Headline circulation: 46,138 Month-on-month change: +7.67% Year-on-year change: -9.09% Sunday Herald Headline circulation: 43,974 Month-on-month change: +9.75% Year-on-year change: -0.17% FREESHEET DISTRIBUTION Metro UK Average daily distribution: 1,307,253 Month-on-month change: -0.91% City AM Average daily distribution: 93,782 Month-on-month: -1.17% Headline circulation includes lesser rate sales, subscriptions, bulks – copies sold to airlines, rail companies, hotels and gyms for a nominal fee and given free to the public – and distribution in Ireland and overseas. UK and Ireland paid-for circulation excludes bulks and overseas distribution; where this figure is not given, bulks and overseas distribution account for less than 5% of total circulation