NatMags adds to brands portfolio

The National Magazine Company is launching a range of House Beautiful paint and looking at the possibility of a range of Zest clothing to extend its magazine brands into new areas.

The roll-out of the paint range in October comes shortly after the launch in April of the House Beautiful Interactive Interiors Website in the US, which is likely to be extended to the UK. The site allows readers to customise and design rooms online, and order home decorating products such as tiles, paints, fabrics and wallpaper.

The company is also talking to a clothing manufacturer with a view to producing a Zest-branded range of sexy sportswear in subtle colours.

Extensions into food and soft drinks are also being considered for the women’s health magazine.

However, the use of the Zest name could be restricted in some product sectors, such as bottled water, where the word Zest has already been registered as a trademark by other manufacturers.

NatMags, the UK subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation, has always been quick to exploit the potential of its magazine brands, which include She, Company, Good Housekeeping and Harpers & Queen.

The name of its most famous magazine, Cosmopolitan, is attached to a range of dairy products, clothing, bed linen and the Cosmo Show, while Good Housekeeping has its own range of branded bakeware and recipe books. There are also plans to launch a Cosmo café.