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January 29, 2008

Future sales look bright for Cosmopolitan

By Rachael Gallagher

Natmags-owned women’s monthly Cosmopolitan is expected to report sales growth in the upcoming ABCs.

In a letter to Press Gazette this week Natmags chief executive Duncan Edwards said ‘rumour has it’sales of the magazine were on the up.

Cosmopolitan editor Louise Court, who celebrates her first year in the role next month, told Press Gazette: ‘It’s a very tough market out there, but we’ve had some really optimistic figures and has some great sales and responses from readers.

‘Cosmopolitan has such a strong DNA, everybody knows what Cosmo is and what it’s about, and I think at a time where there are so many magazines on news-stands it really helps that it has such a massive brand identity.”

Elsewhere in the women’s sector, H Bauer’s weekly women’s title Bella is braced for another sharp decline in circulation.

The magazine’s circulation fell 25.4 per cent year on year to 247,390 for the first half of 2007, and according to one well-placed industry source, is set to drop by at least the same again when ABC figures for the second half of the year are announced on 14 February.

The title had a dramatic redesign in March last year under editor Jane Marsden, who was replaced by Julia Davis last week.

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The redesign increased its celebrity and fashion content in an attempt to drive more sales and attract readers.

Dan Pimm, head of press at media buyers Universal McCann, said: ‘The problem you’ve got is that it’s still got Bella at the top of the magazine, you can’t just change people’s perceptions overnight.

Bauer declined to comment.

IPC Media’s children’s football monthly Shoot is set for an ABC increase next month, after a major redesign under new editor Frank Tennyson in October.

The title saw its circulation decline from nearly 120,000 in 1996 to 33,455 for the first half of 2007 – but sales are understood to be on the up year-on-year.

For breaking news on the consumer magazine ABC results for the second half of 2007, see pressgazette.co.uk from midday on 14 February

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

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