29 June - 5 July 2000

FT circulation in Malta higher than many countries

by David Kelleher

The circulation of the Financial Times in Malta is high compared to much larger countries in the Mediterranean region.

Speaking to The Malta Business Weekly, Raphael Renzi, FT's marketing manager for the Mediterranean, said that with a total of 300 copies a day, the island had one of the highest circulation figures compared to other countries like Turkey and Cyprus.

Between July and December of last year, Turkey had a circulation of 1,437 while that for Malta was 269. Taking this figure as a percentage of the populations, per capita sales in Malta were extremely high.

Other countries with much larger populations and larger business communities had nearly the same circulation. Cyprus, Croatia, Estonia, Monaco, Australia have circulation figures in the region of 200-400.

"Malta's circulation is relatively high and this can be attributed to two factors:

the island formed part of the British empire and there is a high concentration of business," Mr Renzi said.

Mr Renzi was in Malta for various meetings with local businessmen and the FT's advertising representatives in Malta, Standard Publications. Asked why Malta was important to the Financial Times, he said that everywhere was important.

"If the FT is sold in a country, then that market is important. I am in Malta to work on the circulation, which is doing very well, and to market the supplement on Malta which will be published in November," he said.

"There are many business executives in Malta who want to keep current with what is happening in Europe and around the world. These are our main subscribers, although the FT is now becoming accessible to a wider readership," Mr Renzi said.

The Financial Times is recognised as the world's leading business newspaper with a circulation of around 450,000 copies.

World circulation has also surpassed the UK figure making it "no longer a UK paper but an international one".

The company, which forms part of the Pearson Group, has established itself in every continent and has sales of around 100,000 in the US, despite tough competition from the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.

The FT has printing facilities in five states: New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. It also has printing facilities in Asia. According to a 1998 study carried out by the European Business Readership Survey, the Financial Times "is the most widely read publication among the EBRS audience with an average issue readership of 20 per cent and a reach of 33 per cent based on six insertions".