Banmoco News As It Happens

Associated Newspapers has confirmed the last edition of the London Lite which will be published next Friday, 13 November.

On October 27, Associated had revealed a consultation on future of the newspaper, putting 36 positions at risk. At the time the management said to be initiating consultation but had not given any specific time frame.

According to Associated Newspapers Free Division managing director Steve Auckland, the company was concerned at the time about the commercial viability of the London Lite.

Auckland said today that after a lengthy consultation period with the employees as the London Lite, both staff and management nave decided to publish the paper’s last issue on Friday November 13 2009.

The closure of the London Lite will cap an eventful period in the London newspaper market. Last September, thelondonpaper saw the end of its life when owner News International put the key in the door. Meanwhile, the London Evening Standard switched to free mode last month and increased its distribution to 600,000 daily copies.

The London Lite kicked-off its activities in August 2006, specifically to protect the sales of the Evening Standard, the sister paid-for newspaper of Associated, and to spoil the hopes of International’s thelondonpaper as a sole player on the market. But it was on December 14 2004 that Associated Newspapers had released a freesheet edition of the Evening Standard, titled Standard Lite, to give a boost to circulation. The paper had 48 pages, compared to the average 80 in the main paper.

The newspaper was available from Monday to Friday afternoons and evenings via on-street distributors only in Central London.

Associated still has a 24.9% stake in the Standard, which was purchased last January by Russian oligarch Alexander Lebedev.