Mercury Extra

It’s published by Leicester Mercury Group Ltd, part of the Northcliffe Media group of regional newspapers, which in turn was part of the Daily Mail & General Trust until the end of 2012, when it became the major constituent of the Local World group.

As the name suggests, it’s the local freesheet companion to Local World’s paid-for daily title for the whole county, the Leicester Mercury. The editorial offices are in Leicester.

It was launched in 1970 as a fortnightly freesheet, Leicester’s Shop Window; it became a weekly in 1976. In 1983 it was renamed the Leicester Mail and Shop Window before settling on the Leicester Mail the following year. This title was actually the resurrection of an earlier daily newspaper’s name: The Leicester Mail, itself founded as a weekly in 1865, later also titled the Leicester Daily Mail and Leicester Evening Mail before being incorporated into the Mercury in 1963.

At the end of February 2013 it was rebranded under its present title in an attempt to strengthen the link with the Mercury and thus boost readers’ and advertisers’ interest. Distribution through pickup points at a dozen Leicester supermarkets started at the same time.

It has no website of its own; the link below is to the Mercury‘s website.

It comes out on Thursdays.