News stand magazine sales in December had an estimated rsv turnover of £124m, level pegging with the previous month's figure, according to Seymour's Monthly Monitor. However, the three-month moving average has slipped 1% to £135m and the 12-month moving average is estimated at £136m, a slight increase. The total rsv estimate for 2001, according to Seymour, is £1.6bn, excluding one-shots. Year-on-year, sales in December are estimated to have outperformed December 2000 by a whisker, while the three-month moving average, year-on-year, is estimated to be down 0.1%. The 12-month moving measure also continues to decline,with the market estimated to be down 0.3%. In volume terms, the estimate for December is the lowest since measures began. The month was a poor one because of the Christmas and New Year double issues produced by many of the weeklies, although the higher price charged for double issues led to an estimated average cover price of £1.55 during December 2001 ­ the highest since records began. In retail performance, WHS High Street's market share for December is estimated at 12.8%, compared with 12.6% for December 2000. Over the period October to December, the independents showed the biggest loss of market share, dropping to 36.6%. The trend continues year- on-year, with independents losing heavily and the supermarkets making the gains. The six supermarket chains measured were Sainsbury, Tesco, Safeway, Asda Morrisons and Somerfield, which have a combined market share of 24.6%, up 1.3% year on year. Seymour reports that in the the year to date, the number of launches on the market were 58 compared with 36 in the same period in 2001, and 27 in 2000. {{CTN }}