Mail and Mirror ramp up presses in feeding frenzy

The News of the World's rival Sunday newspapers were today planning massive increases in their print runs for tomorrow night in a bid to capitalise on the once-in-a-lifetime closure of their biggest peer.

Although the News of the World will be printing this weekend, other papers are betting on mass defections from hundreds of thousands of readers put off by the phone-hacking scandal.

While the rivals' plans were shrouded in secrecy, sources said some were plotting to up the number of papers printed by 20% to 40%.

Shares in Trinity Mirror, publisher of the Sunday Mirror and The People, shot up as analysts said they could be the main beneficiaries as more than seven million News of the World readers look for a new Sunday tabloid. The News of the World sold 2.7 million copies a week.

Daily Mail and General Trust, owner of the Mail on Sunday and a minority shareholder in the Evening Standard, is set to benefit. Its shares rose 1.3%.

Northern & Shell, the privately held publisher of the Sunday Express and the Daily Star Sunday, was also expecting to see a jump in sales.

Newsagents are being sent details of special offers for customers to lure News of the World readers.

As one senior retailer said: "They are all launching special deals based on the theme of, 'If you were a News of the World reader you can sign up for the next weeks of our title at a 50%-plus discount.'"

Another senior newspaper executive said: "When was the last time you got such a clear-cut opportunity to cut into one of the best-selling newspapers in the country? Everyone is out there battling for their share of the spoils."

Executives at rival papers say they are acutely aware that they must win the News of the World readers' loyalty now before Rupert Murdoch launches his expected Sunday version of the Sun.

"Murdoch made £10 million a year from his Sunday tabloid and he's not going to give that up easily. There's nothing official about the Sun on Sunday but it will happen, and when it does, you can bet he's going to give it a hell of a massive push. He needs that mass circulation to keep the advertising rolling in."

Advertising sales teams from Trinity Mirror and DMGT spent today contacting News of the World advertisers with deals to get them into their Sunday editions. The final edition of the News of the World will carry no advertising.