World’s longest-running biz paper to stop print edition

Lloyd’s List, which has provided shipping news from London since 1734, has decided to abandon print and go fully digital, reports Robert Cookson of the Financial Times.

Cookson writes, “The world’s longest-running business newspaper started as a notice pinned to the wall of a coffee shop in the City of London, offering news and information about the shipping industry.

“Since then – as wooden sailboats were replaced by supertankers – The List, as it is known in the industry, has evolved from a pamphlet to a range of digital products including a website and apps for smartphones and tablets.

“‘We’re still the essential source of international trade shipping information, but now you can get us on your iPad in any coffee shop anywhere in the world at any time of the day,’ said Richard Meade, editor of Lloyd’s List.

“Informa, the FTSE 250 company that publishes Lloyd’s List, said the move to go all digital followed months of research and preparation. A customer survey carried out in June found that 97 per cent of respondents said their preferred way of accessing business information is online.

“Fewer than 2 per cent of readers now access Lloyd’s List solely through its print edition. The publication has more than 16,600 paying subscribers and charges about £1,800 for a single subscription.”

Read more here.