Mail and Express Launch Partial Price War

The two 'middle-market newspapers', the Scottish Daily Mail and the Scottish Daily Express, seem to have engaged each other in a price war, although not consistently across the country.

In the East of Scotland, both newspapers are now selling at 20p, with each carrying large promotional boxes on page one today. Last week, the Express was 35p, while the Mail was 45p.

However, in Central Scotland and in the West, the Express is still retailing at 35p, with the Mail actually going up in price, in the West, to 50p.

The Scottish Daily Express proclaims in its promotional box: “This paper is now only 20p”, while the Scottish Daily Mail announces in its one: “Scotland’s best-value paper is now just 20p”. 

In its East of Scotland edition, the Mail says, on page two, of its price drop, Monday to Friday: “That is obviously great news for our loyal readers and gives thousands more people the chance to sample our unrivalled package, which has already made the Scottish Daily Mail the biggest selling quality paper in Scotland. We’re confident that you’ll stick with us.”

But it's a different story in its West of Scotland edition, with the price rise being put down to an “unprecedented rise in production costs, following a long period of price stability”.