Free newspaper Metro will continue its expansion in Latin America by launching print and online versions in Puerto Rico later this month, its parent company Metro International, headquartered in Sweden, announced today.

Metro’s presence in Puerto Rico’s capital San Juan will bring the number of Latin American countries in which Metro is handed out up to eight; the freesheet is already distributed to almost three million daily readers in the metropolitan centers of Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala and Columbia.

"Latin America has grown in importance to Metro and now accounts for over 25 percent our business," said Mikael Jenson, CEO and President of Metro International, in the release.

The Financial Times has similarly announced a “significant expansion into the Latin American market” today.

The salmon-coloured British daily is launching a digital newspaper printing site in Brazil, which as of tomorrow will begin using high-speed inkjet technology to print newspapers in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the capital Brasilia.

The Financial Times is concurrently launching a new mobile web app for Latin America, and a Latin America homepage for its website, FT.com, both of which will prioritize content that is relevant to its growing Latin American readership. 

“The Latin America homepage and mobile app reflect growing demand from both readers and advertisers on all channels,” said the publisher’s CEO John Ridding in a statement.

The newspaper’s “growing audience and product offerings in the region also affirm Latin America’s emergence as a major centre for global business and finance,” Ridding added.

Sources: Metro, Financial Times, Guardian

Photo of São Paulo courtesy of Flickr user raphaaa and used under a Creative Commons licence.