Times Newspapers and Telegraph Media Group are rumoured to be following in the footsteps of the Guardian and the Observer by scrapping the distribution of bulk copies.

These heavily discounted copies are used on airlines and in hotels as a tool for catching new readers and, in some cases, they make up a large portion of a newspaper’s total circulation. For example, the Daily Telegraph distributed 91,443 bulk copies this August – the highest of the broadsheets.

Perhaps the removal of these bulks, particularly in hotels, will encourage more people back into newsagents to pick up a daily title. It also presents independents with a chance to grow their newspaper sales through home news delivery.

Just recently, a newspaper circulation director was telling me that many independents are missing out on huge opportunities to supply businesses and hotels with a newspaper delivery service. Regardless of how large or small the business or hotel, you could certainly benefit from approaching them and seeing if you can offer a competitive deal.