Natmags continues online shopping spree

Natmags has bought Handbag.com as part of its shopping spree in new media.

The publishers, which already bought netdoctor.co.uk this year and launched new websites for Good Housekeeping and Cosmopolitan, is currently seeking to fill its newly created digital managing director role.

The Handbag group publishes four female targeted websites; getlippy.com aimed at 18-24 year old women; allaboutyou.com for 35+ women; gomamatoday.com a specialist pregnancy and birth site; and the core website handbag.com itself. .

Handbag.com, which was launched in 1999 as a joint venture between retailer Boots and The Daily Telegraph, is now largely credited with helping persuade advertisers to invest in online adverts. Following the change of ownership of The Daily Telegraph in July 2004 and the sale of Boots Plc of their stake in March 2005, The Press Holdings Group became the controller of Handbag.com.

Duncan Edwards, chief eExecutive of Natmags, said: “NatMag is totally committed to being as important to our customers on-line as we are in print, and this acquisition is a significant step forward in achieving this goal.”

Nancy Cruickshank, managing director of Handbag.com Ltd, added: “Handbag has led the UK market in digital publishing for women over the past seven years, and it is only fitting that we should now join forces with NatMag with their proven track record in traditional publishing. We are incredibly excited and optimistic about the opportunities that NatMag will now offer the business.”