Star registers steepest decline out of Sunday titles

It was a bleak month for national Sunday newspapers in February with every title recording a year-on-year sales fall, with the steepest declines felt by the Daily Star Sunday, the Observer and the People. Richard Desmond's Daily Star Sunday suffered the biggest sales fall with circulation down 12.96% to 302,357, according to the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations figures released Friday. The Observer suffered a fall of 11.67% followed by Trinity Mirror's the People at 9.83% and News International's News of the World at 9.54%. In a dour month the Independent on Sunday showed resilience with year-on-year sales down just 1.85% – and even up a shade at 0.14% month on month – as did the Mail on Sunday with a 2.72% annual circulation decline. The Sunday Times Headline circulation: 1,045,495 Month-on-month change: +0.59% Year-on-year change: -6.83% Overseas: 40,289 The Sunday Telegraph Headline circulation: 488,218 Month-on-month change: -1.59% Year-on-year change: -5.43% Overseas: 13,614 The Observer Headline circulation: 302,490 Month-on-month change: -3.72% Year-on-year change: -11.67% Overseas: 16,170 The Independent on Sunday Headline circulation: 152,782 Month-on-month change: +0.14% Year-on-year change: -1.85% UK and Ireland paid-for circulation: 72,580 (47.5% of total) Overseas: 27,618 Mail on Sunday Headline circulation: 1,924,589 Month-on-month change: -1.71% Year-on-year change: -2.72% UK and Ireland paid-for circulation: 1,717,915 (89.3% of total) Overseas: 93,352 Sunday Express Headline circulation: 533,293 Month-on-month change: -3.09% Year-on-year change: -7.30% Overseas: 28,914 News of the World Headline circulation: 2,708,158 Month-on-month change: -2.92% Year-on-year change: -9.54% Overseas: 36,744 Sunday Mirror Headline circulation: 1,100,177 Month-on-month change: +0.67% Year-on-year change: -4.83% Overseas: 23,376 The People Headline circulation: 488,240 Month-on-month change: -2.52% Year-on-year change: -9.83% Overseas: 15,111 Daily Star Sunday Headline circulation: 302,357 Month-on-month change: -4.53% Year-on-year change: -12.96% Overseas: 7,304 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 • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".