One of the most amazing newspaper marketing decisions was made earlier this month and will be visible from October 17th.
Express Newspapers have decided (aka Desmond has decided) that the UK version of the Daily Star will be available in Ireland from that Monday. It will sit alongside and compete with the Irish Daily Star in retail outlets. Express Newspapers own 50% of Independent Star Limited (ISL) publishers of the Irish Daily Star.
I am at a complete loss as to the logic of this move. The only explanation would be that Desmond will rake in more from the UK versions on sales in the Republic than he would from the dividends from ISL. It’s nothing to do with boosting their circulation numbers as the Republic sales are already in the overall Daily Star figures.
The UK version is not going through Newspread (IN&M owned) not will it be printed on IN&M presses.
Express Newspapers logic is based on the ‘success’ of the current version of the Sunday Daily Star. Since the Irish title closed earlier this year, it has been replaced but the UK Sunday Version (nothing to do with ISL) with all the proceeds going to Express Newspapers. But that success is only based on the closure of the News of the World. Up to the News of the World closure the paper sold about 28,000 copies every Sunday.
Looking at it from another perspective it’s very much goes against the grain for the Joint venture between Express Newspapers and Independent News and Media. There are 110 people employed by ISL and this move is a threat to their livelihoods.
