On 26 April 2008, FT Weekend is refreshing the look of the newspaper and magazine. The refresh, led by FT Weekend editor Andy Davis, is designed to provide readers with a more inviting, striking and stimulating weekend newspaper. The refresh of FT Weekend comes almost exactly one year after the refresh of the weekday edition, which has seen the Financial Times go on to win three Newspaper of the Year awards in the past five months.

The refreshed paper will see sections 1 and 2 combined into a single news section with the addition of an Analysis page and a weekly obituary column. To support the changes, high quality columnists will be joining FT Weekend with Tyler Brule resuming his ‘The Fast Lane’ column and Merryn Somerset Webb joining from the Sunday Times to write weekly in the Money section. They join the impressive list of current FT Weekend columnists, including Jancis Robinson, Anthony Bolton and Robin Lane Fox.

Changes are also being made to the FT Weekend Magazine with an emphasis on high quality journalism and reporting, providing exclusive stories and stunning photojournalism which readers will not see anywhere else. The magazine – will which be themed once month – will provide a showcase for the best Financial Times journalism. The first edition of the ‘refreshed’ magazine will be themed on the subject of the environment with an insightful cover story on plastic.

Andy Davis, editor of FT Weekend, said: “The changes we are making to FT Weekend and the FT Weekend Magazine mark a return to the quality weekend reportage and photojournalism of an earlier era. In a sprawling Saturday and Sunday newspaper market, FT Weekend – the only newspaper on newsstands all weekend – provides a welcome breath of fresh air. We plan to give readers something to savour.”

Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, said: “Following the successful refresh of the weekday edition in April 2007, we have now produced an even sharper weekend paper with the same quality, award winning journalism that the FT is known for.”

A new advertising campaign is being launched to support the refresh of FT Weekend. Created by DDB, the campaign use images of brain scans to show how FT Weekend is a stimulating weekend read, under the strapline ‘Light up your mind’. The ad campaign is due to run in titles including The Economist, Time, Fortune, Monocle, Vanity Fair and Esquire. The media planning and buying was done by BJK&E.

There will also be extensive point of sale activity with retailers, sampling in coffee shops and at key weekend travel points, electronic discount vouchers for FT Weekend for FT.com registered users and a special promotional offer with Merryn Somerset Webb’s book in WH Smith outlets.

Frances Brindle, Global Marketing Director, said: “There is a substantial opportunity to grow readership and circulation of FT Weekend by communicating that it is a stimulating and intelligent leisure read rather than a business read, which is how many non readers have traditionally perceived us. We are aiming at a wide group of smart, intellectually curious individuals who value quality over quantity in their weekend newspaper.”

Key changes to FT Weekend include:

•Sections 1 and 2 will be combined into a single news section of approximately 26 pages, with the addition of an Analysis page and a weekly obituary column

•Tyler Brule is rejoining FT Weekend, resuming his ‘The Fast Lane’ column

•Merryn Somerset Webb is also joining FT Weekend and will be writing the main column for the Money Section

•The Managed Funds pages will move into the Money section

•TV Listings move to Life & Arts

•The books section will move into Life & Arts from the Magazine

•The popular ‘Lunch with the FT’ column is moving into Life & Arts from the Magazine

•A larger format Magazine, with reworked opening pages to give extra pace as the reader enters the magazine

•A new closing section to the Magazine called Pursuits, based on outdoor activities and healthy living

•A renewed focus on high quality photojournalism and reporting in the Magazine, giving readers pictures and stories they won’t read anywhere else and providing a showcase for the FT’s journalism

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For further information, please contact:

Jo Crosby, Financial Times, 020 7873 3811 or jo.crosby@ft.com

Sophie Grut, Financial Times, 020 7873 3119 or sophie.grut@ft.com

About the Financial Times:

The Financial Times, one of the world’s leading business newspapers, is recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. Providing extensive news, comment and analysis, the newspaper is printed at 24 print sites across the globe, has a daily circulation of 454,937 (ABC figures, March 2008) and a readership of more than 1.3 million people worldwide. FT.com is one of the world’s leading business information websites, and the internet partner of the FT newspaper. FT.com is the definitive home for business intelligence on the web, providing an essential source of news, comment, data and analysis for the global business community. FT.com attracts 6.2 million unique users, generating 48 million page views. FT.com has 101,000 subscribers.