Hearst Magazines UK axes She and Cosmopolitan Bride
Hearst Magazines UK, the new company formed from the merger of the National Magazine Company and Hachette Filipacchi, has closed its first magazines since the rebrand.
Women’s monthly glossy She and bi-monthly Cosmopolitan Bride are to be closed with immediate effect and will print their last issues this month.
She magazine had an average net circulation of 144,583 in December, according to its latest ABC. It is the 65th most actively purchased magazine in the UK, lower than recently acquired Hachette Filipacchi titles Elle and Red, which both reach circulations of more than 200,000.
Cosmopolitan Bride is fourth biggest bridal magazine in the UK and marked an average net circulation of 37,690 in December. It is thought Hearst Magazines UK will blend the content from its stablemate You and Your Wedding, the National Magazines title that recorded an ABC of 48,664 in December.
Meribeth Parker, group publishing director of Hearst Magazines UK, says the decision to close the titles was taken to ensure the company is as “robust and adaptable as possible for the future”.
She adds: “As a business that believes strongly in the future of print, it is never an easy decision to close a magazine. However we are taking this decisive action now to strengthen our overall portfolio, focusing our investment on our stronger titles and digital expansion.”
Competition in the women’s lifestyle sector has “never been fiercer” and Hearst Magazines UK felt the need to close the magazines to adapt to this trend, she says.
Hearst Magazines UK was formed earlier this week (1 Aug), when Hearst US finalised a $651m deal with Lagardère to buy its international division, which included Hachette Filipachhi in the UK.
The next magazine ABC data will be released on 18 August.
