The
big-budget launch of Grazia , Emap’s new glossy women’s weekly, kicked
off this week with a run of 650,000 free sample copies, prime-time TV
ads and promotions in major stores.
The mag, which features
Jennifer Aniston on its first cover, is a UK version of the
long-running Italian title, and is aimed at the typical reader of
monthlies like Elle and Marie Claire .
The launch has the UK’s
biggest-ever investment budget for a magazine and is supported by six
former magazine editors, headed up by Fiona McIntosh, previously editor
of Elle.
The company is said to be expecting to “evolve” the magazine over the next few weeks in line with reader feedback.
Rivals
have so far responded with cautious approval to the preview issue, but
Lorraine Candy, editor of Elle, said she was not worried by competition
from Grazia .
She said: “It’s very good for a weekly mag and I
think it will do really well, but it doesn’t worry me because I don’t
think it will take Elle readers away.
“Women will always want a
luxurious read, they don’t buy Elle to find out what’s happening that
week, they want something to savour. They buy into the lifestyle and
feel of the brand.”
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