View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Data
  2. Audience Data
August 12, 2010updated 13 Sep 2012 4:24pm

Mag ABCs – Women’s sector up but Cosmo drops 9%

By Press Gazette reporters

National Magazine Company's flagship glossy, Cosmopolitan, recorded a nine per cent fall in circulation year on year in the first half of 2010 as the women's lifestyle sector benefited from double-digit growth thanks to new free magazines and resilient performances elsewhere.

Cosmopolitan's average monthly circuation fell to 401,750 over the six months to the end of June. The drop of around 40,000 copies per issue led the magazine to drop from second to sixth in the sector.

Natmag annouced last week that it intended to launch a free Cosmopolitan spin-off title later this year aimed at university students.

Overall the women's lifestyle sector grew 14.6 per cent in the first half of 2010, according to Audit Bureau of Circulation figures released today.

More than half the sector's titles posted an increase in sale or were stable in the period, with more than 900,000 extra copies sold – or given away – compared to the first half of 2009.

The growth is largely due to the inclusion in the ABC figures of two new free titles.

In-store title John Lewis Edition, which is published five times a year by John Brown, had an average distribution of 484,000 in the first half of the year.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Shortlist Media's free Stylist magazine, which launched in October, had a weekly distribution run of 421,158 in the first half of the year – making it the country's fifth biggest women's lifestyle magazine.

The sector's leading title, Conde Nast's Glamour, was stable year-on-year with an average circulation of 526,216 per issue.

IPC Media's Woman & Home increased its circulation by 5.5 per cent year-on-year to 369,321.

NatMags' Prima rose by the same amount to 289,058, while Harper's Bazaar rose by an impressive 8.1 per cent year on year to an average circulation of 118,553 per issue.

Not all titles fared as well. In addtion to Cosmopolitan's circuation decline Marie Claire fell by 1.9 per cent to an average cirucation of 280,021 per issue.

Women's interest: lifestyle /fashion ABC figures, first six months of 2010 (all percentages are year-on-year changes)

Glamour – 526,216 (0.0%)

John Lewis Edition – 484,040 (N/A)

ASOS.com – 449,943 (-3.7%)

Good Housekeeping – 422,496 (3.0%)

Stylist – 421,158 (N/A)

Cosmopolitan – 401,750 (-9.0%)

Woman & Home – 369,321 (5.5%)

Look – 313,358 (-0.7%)

 

Yours – 297,231 (-1.3%)

Prima – 289,058 (5.5%)

Marie Claire – 280,021 (-1.9%)

Candis – 254,420 (-6.5%)

Red – 230,067 (5.2%)

Grazia – 228,770 (0.0%)

Company – 217,324 (-5.6%)

Vogue – 210,561 (0.1%)

Elle (U.K.) – 195,625 (0.2%)

More! – 187,159 (-1.9%)

Instyle UK – 186,251 (1.8%)

Easy Living – 170,054 (-5.5%)

She – 144,228 (-3.1%)

Psychologies – 119,025 (-8.9%)

Harpers Bazaar – 118,553 (8.1%)

Essentials – 115,432 (12.9%)

Vanity Fair – 102,445 (0.7%)

Tatler – 86,448 (1.6%)

Ladies First Magazine (Wales) – 36,306 (-2.3%)

WM The Womans Magazine – 31,400 (2.1%)

Social & Personal – 17,743 (27.7%)

Stellar – 16,570 (N/A)

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

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network