Daily Mail price to increase by 5p

The price of the Daily Mail is to increase by 5p from Monday as its owner looks to offset the continuing high cost of newsprint.

Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGT), which also publishes the Mail on Sunday, said it was the first increase in the price of the weekday Daily Mail since April 2008.

The cover price will rise to 55p, but the cost of the Saturday edition and that of the Mail on Sunday will remain unchanged.

As well as newsprint costs, DMGT said the rise will help mitigate some of the recent decline in advertising revenues.

Its Associated division, which houses the company's national titles, saw advertising revenues fall 7% on last year in the 13 weeks to July 3, with the figure down 9% for the five weeks of June.

The company said the performance reflected the fragile consumer economy, which has meant continued uncertainty for advertisers in the retail sector.

DMGT said the downturn was offset by the circulation performance of the Daily Mail, which has "significantly outperformed" the market over the last year. The title is Britain's second-biggest daily newspaper with sales over two million.

DMGT also houses Northcliffe Media, which includes about 100 regional newspaper titles, and a business-to-business information division.