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April 9, 2007updated 17 May 2007 11:30am

So London: ‘No long term future’

By Press Gazette

After just three weeks of publishing, So London has closed. Billed as the first glossy weekly for the capital, the title, which launched on 15 March, promised to "capture the pulse of cultural life for affluent Londoners" with its mix of arts, property and luxury.

The shock announcement last Thursday said: "Having tested the market with the first three issues, we feel that there is no long term future for the title in the current marketplace."

In the statement, So London managing director Mike Ironside said, "Everyone has put in a tremendous effort in producing these early editions and I am extremely proud [of them]."

A spokesman for the magazine said he could not confirm the number of editorial staff to lose their jobs, but an insider told Press Gazette it is likely to be under 10.

A source on the title told Press Gazette: "I think we simply weren't selling as much as forecasted. It was quite bizarre because we were advertised on the London buses — it was quite a shocker, really."

So London was edited by former Associated Newspapers senior editor Christena Appleyard and designed by award-winning Simon Esterson — who most recently redesigned the New Statesman. It was published by Sohobased So London Publishing Ltd, owned by Steve and Jenny Rigby and had a launch run of 75,000 copies.

At its inception, So London editor Appleyard emphasised its roots in property, saying: "There's no doubt that a significant part of this magazine is about property and property dreams." It is now unclear whether the title could have brought in the advertising from the sector to maintain a weekly glossy.

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