It was founded in 1900 and was purchased in 1916 by the future Lord Beaverbrook. It was one of the first papers to carry gossip, sports, and women's features, and the first newspaper in Britain to have a crossword. It moved in 1931 to Fleet Street.
It switched to tabloid form in 1977 and was bought by United Newspapers in 1977, and was briefly renamed The Express in 1996. In 2000, it was purchased by Richard Desmond, who previously published such magazines as Big Ones and Asian Babes.
The paper has for many years had an ongoing rivalry with the Daily Mail, and each frequently attacks the other's journalistic integrity. As of 2003, the Express has a less stridently right wing political stance than the Mail, and sells less than half as many copies. Whether these facts are connected is a matter for debate.
Because of its lower sales in recent years, the Express has implemented some subtle economy measures such as reducing the height of its pages by a centimetre and printing on slightly lower-grade paper.
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