The free tabloid newspaper printed its 3,140th – and last – issue on December 22

The final edition of free tabloid newspaper 7DAYS was printed on Thursday, as it closes its doors and rolls off the presses.

In an editorial piece printed in the last issue of 7DAYS, Managing Editor Claire Sharrock said: “Today, it is with great sadness that we publish our 3,140th issue – the final edition of 7DAYS newspaper. The end of an era… a huge blow to media in the UAE… a Dubai institution gone… Not our words, but yours.”

Sharrock also explained that, “in the nearly 14 years since we burst onto the scene as a weekly newspaper, I firmly believe 7DAYS has helped change the face of media, in particular news reporting, here in the UAE.”

The Dubai-based publication, which is owned by UK’s General Trust and the Daily Mail, announced last November that due to a challenging print business model, it will shut down the newspaper and its online news website on December 22, 2016.

Editor in Chief Mahmoud Al Awadi previously told Gulf News: “The newspaper enjoyed wide readership from different segments in the UAE, especially the low income household which we had considered as our main readership target.

“However, the financial circumstances didn’t allow us to continue what we love to do- journalism.”