Saturday edition of i newspaper to be launched
Alexander Lebedev is pursuing plans to bring his successful I newspaper to weekend newsstands following a warm reception to the weekday edition of the cut price paper.
Retailing at just 30p the title will be available from May 7, part of an effort by the publisher to build revenues from around 170,000 daily readers.
Launched in October the i has quickly found success thanks to celebrity endorsement from the likes of Jemima Khan and Dom Joly.
This success has been a boon for the papers parent title, the Independent, which is now said to be negotiating advertising rates of as much as double its pre-I days by bundling advertising space in the I within its advertising deals.
Simon Kelner, I’s editor, said: “There will be plenty more in your complete, concise companion to the weekend. A special section of the paper we’re calling “Leisure and Pleasure” will focus on just that, everything from food to travel, gardening to fashion, opera to style. There’ll be more sport, more interviews, a weekend TV guide and advice on personal finance from our experts. All done, of course, with the accent on i’s trademark quality and brevity.”