Lads Mags print circulation tumbles

ABCs: The lads mags sector continues to see a decline in the printed form with FHM, Maxim and Loaded all seeing a double digit drop in average net circulation year-on-year, according to ABC figures.

ABCs: The “lads mags” sector continues to see a decline in the printed form with FHM, Maxim and Loaded all seeing a double digit drop in average net circulation year-on-year, according to ABC figures.

However, Dennis Publishing’s Maxim has seen a respectable climb period-on-period of 5.5 per cent period-on-period, although it lost 41.4 per year-on-year and its circulation now stands at 45,951.

IPC’s Loaded dropped 21.7 per cent year-on-year and its average net circulation is now 90,071, while Bauer Media’s FHM, relaunched in August 2007, dropped 13.5 per cent year-on-year to 272,545.

The IPC weekly Nuts and the Bauer Media weekly title Zoo both dropped circulation with Nuts down 6.4 per cent period-on-period to 234,034 and Zoo down 9.8 per cent to 145,555.

However, technology-focused laddish magazines are performing well with Stuff up 7.9 per cent period-on-period and only down 1.9 per cent year-on-year.

While the printed titles are suffering, the publishers of the lads’ mags argue that their branded websites are delivering strong traffic.

IPC Ignite, the publisher’s division for its men’s lifestyle and music titles, has announced that it will produce an average web traffic audit every six months starting with the August ABC. It relaunched its Nuts website in autumn last year.

The figures do show robust figures for men’s titles outside the lads’ mag sector. National Magazine’s Esquire jumped 3.3 per cent period-on-period to 60,051 and rose 0.4 per cent year-on-year.

NatMag Rodale’s Men’s Health rose 2 per cent period-on-period to 250,094 and Dennis’s Men’s Fitness rose 2.5 per cent year-on-year to 67,160.

Bauer’s Arena rose 16.4 per cent year-on-year off a low base to 29,374 but was down 4.9 per cent period-on-period.

Free weekly title Shortlist increased its distribution 5.1 per cent period-on-period to 505,970.