Redesign pays off as ‘Handelsblatt’ goes to stitched tabloid

German business daily ‘Handelsblatt’ has reported double-digit circulation increases following a switch from broadsheet to tabloid last November. The newspaper is the country’s first quality daily to make the change to the stitched compact it calls ‘business format’, developed by art director Nils Werner, working with newspaper designers Mario Garcia and Katja Hösli. ‘Handelsblatt’ is the only German business newspaper to have reported growth in circulation numbers for the last quarter of 2009, pushing up subscription sales by almost seven per cent in the third quarter, according to managing director Joachim Liebler. In the same period, single copy sales increased by 30 per cent while competitor sales declined in double digit percentages. Reader reaction to the new stitched format has been monitored via a relaunch blog. The layout and design is based on a double-spread principle with a complete overhaul of image and graphic formats. Advantages include better presentation of feature articles and the ability to illustrate with larger photographs. The newspaper also offers double-spread advertising, including across pages two and three, thanks to the online section stapling, provided by specialist manufacturer Tolerans. Sales manager Torsten Köning says there have been a few subscription cancellations: “We have received questions asking why we changed the format but only in very rare cases has that lead to cancellations”. He underlines the value of the printed edition, which will be the main source of income for the foreseeable future, although new paid content online services are set to become an increasingly valuable source of revenue. Source: Tolerans AB