Johnston Press hails record growth for i newspaper

Media group Johnston Press today said the newest addition to its stable has continued to attract more readers since its acquisition in April.

Johnston Press said the EU referendum had helped boost sales. Picture: TSPL

The Edinburgh-based owner of The Scotsman said that growth for the i newspaper, bought from ESI Media for £24 million, had been ahead of its expectations, with daily circulation consistently more than 300,000 and advertising revenue “the highest it has been since the acquisition”.

Johnston Press added: “These figures show a further increase from the week of the referendum, indicating a continued desire for impartial and informative journalism, highlighting the vital role that newspapers play around major milestones for the country.”

The group also reported record traffic for inews.co.uk, rising above one million page views per week for the first time since the website went live.

“Since the website was only launched ten weeks ago on 14 April, management are encouraged by this strong start,” the firm added.

“Notwithstanding the referendum, which has evidently been beneficial for newspaper groups in general, i’s circulation and readership has steadily increased under the ownership of Johnston Press and editorship of Oliver Duff. By comparison, during the month immediately prior to the acquisition, i had an average audited circulation of 270,182.”