'Guardian' to remain a broadsheet, says editor

The Guardian will not launch a tabloid version of its broadsheet newspaper, its editor has confirmed.

Alan Rusbridger told staff on Friday that the decision not to follow the lead set by The Independent had been taken for editorial and economic reasons.

The Independent became the first broadsheet to launch a compact edition in September, a move followed by The Times. The launch has been closely monitored by other broadsheet papers.

Mr Rusbridger said that although The Guardian's circulation had been hit by its compact rivals, the decision not to follow had been taken after months of research, the production of dummy issues, and readership surveys.

Since its launch last September The Independent's daily sales have increased to 248,876 last month, an increase of 12.1 per cent on the same period last year. The Independent's circulation is now the highest it has been since November 1997.

Other quality papers have all seen their circulations fall in the same period: The Guardian is down by 6.4 per cent on January last year and The Daily Telegraph by 3.4 per cent. The Times is down by 1.6 per cent.