DESPITE industrial action and the threat of reader boycotts, Glasgow’s Evening Times newspaper has dramatically improved on its sales figures from last year – by reaching the calendar year’s million-copies-sold mark eight weeks earlier than 12 months ago.
A bottle of champagne went to reader, Kerry Mulraney, who bought her paper from vendor, Ray McCurdy, was operates in the city’s Sauchiehall Street.
Says the Evening Times: “The paper now sells an average of 6,300 copies a day in vending sales compared to 4,800 a day last year and, because of the increase, this year’s millionth-copy landmark comes eight weeks earlier than last year. Overall, sales of the Evening Times have also risen two months in a row.”
Figures for June show the paper sold an average of 84,278 copies a day – up 1.7 per cent, year-on-year – while, in July, the average daily sale was 80,641 – up 1.6 per cent, year-on-year.
Adds editor, Donald Martin: “This is a fantastic result from our vending operation and comes on the back of two successive monthly sales rises. That performance is bucking the industry trend and down to the efforts of all our staff.”
He added: “Evening Times vendors are a key part of our success – they are the public face of the paper and do a great job in all weathers.”
The industrial action and threat of boycott followed proposed compulsory redundancy at the newspaper.
The action – by the National Union of Journalists – has since been halted, following reassurances from management.
