Evening Standard signboard displayed outside Sabo newsagents for the last time today.
The London Evening Standard will no longer be available from small Greenwich newsagents from Monday as the paper becomes an afternoon freesheet.
Today was the last day that Greenwich residents will be able to buy the paper from their local newsagents as the 50p cover-price is dropped and the paper moves to large supermarket-based pick up points.
The newspaper, formerly home to Greenwich.co.uk columnist Andrew Gilligan, will now be given away at larger distribution points with the only confirmed location in SE10 at the time of writing being Sainsbury’s in Bugsby’s Way.
It will also be available in the nearby Asda and WH Smiths (both in SE7) but there are currently no distribution points confirmed in SE3.
With no other afternoon paper alternative available, one Greenwich newsagent I spoke to today was unsure of how the loss of the Standard would effect trade but it’s something we will be revisiting over the coming weeks.
Earlier this year, the Standard was bought for £1 by Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev.
The Standard has become such a terrible rag that I can’t believe that anyone will miss it. London deserves good journalism focused on local issues. informing thought and debate about our great city. Sadly, for may years the Standard hasn’t provided this for many years.
Actually, the Standard has gotten better in the past few months since the paper was bought. The Associated Newspapers Co that owned the Standard was the real culprit….and they are still issuing drivel in the form of Metro in the morning and the London Lite in the afternoon.
Whether the Standard will be successful as a free paper? Don’t know.