Womens magazines hit by circulation falls
Women’s weeklies have had a tough six months reporting a 6% decline year-on-year in the Audit Bureau of Circulations figures to the end of June. There have been losses across the sector with Bauer Media-owned Heat reporting a 15.8% drop year-on-year and Reveal, owned by The National Magazine Company, plummeting by 20.2%.
†Women’s weeklies have had a tough six months reporting a 6% decline year-on-year in the Audit Bureau of Circulations figures to the end of June. There have been losses across the sector with Bauer Media-owned Heat reporting a 15.8% drop year-on-year and Reveal, owned by The National Magazine Company, plummeting by 20.2%.
Heat’s circulation has dropped from 558,365 for the period ending June 2007 to 470,129 for the same period this year. It fell by 11.8% on the previous period ended December 2007. Meanwhile, Reveal has dropped from 347,257 for the six months to June last year to 277,002 for the same period this year.
Hello! is the only magazine to record growth over the period and year-on-year. The celebrity title is up 8% on the period and 1.7% on the year to 427,054 copies.
Other losses across the sector include New Magazines’ Love It!, which fell by 7.1% year-on-year to 372,247 compared to 400,603 for the same period last year, IPC’s Now, which has declined by 9.5% year-on-year to 447,094, and Bauer’s Closer has fallen by 7.5% year on year to 527,325.
Northern & Shell-owned OK! Magazine recorded a 9% increase year-on-year to 607,048 although this is down 11.2% compared to the period ended December 2007.
The women’s lifestyle and fashion title fared better with the sector growing 21.1% year-on-year and 7% on the period. Cond» Nast-owned Glamour retains its crown as the sector’s best selling monthly growing 0.2% on the period and 1.2% year-on-year to 551,351 copies. Cosmopolitan, owned by NatMags, has reported a year-on-year rise to 4.4% to 470,735 copies, which is also a 2.4% rise on the half year. However, Bauer-owned More! saw the biggest loss in the sector falling by 37.6% year-on-year and 18.7% on the period to 162,544 copies.
Grazia, owned by Bauer, and Cond• Nast’s Vogue and Tatler reported steady performances on the year and on the period, while Vanity Fair rose by 3% year on year to 101,166.
Customer magazine Debenhams Desire, published by Publicis Blueprint, takes the sector’s largest circulation of 747,251, with no gains or losses over the year.
