Men’s magazine Shortlist is closing its print edition as owner Shortlist Media rebrands to the Stylist Group, named after its continuing free women’s magazine.
The group said it is putting its “full force” behind Stylist and is “investing in building a power brand at a time when feminism and the united force of women has never been more relevant”.
Shortlist’s website will continue to operate, but as a “product recommender” rather than a lifestyle brand, the group has said.
This will involve recommending products and making money through affiliate links, Campaign Live has reported.
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The group said: “Shortlist has always been passionate about product and design, from the latest to the classics, and will now become a market-defining guide for a busy, metropolitan audience.”
Shortlist’s closure comes despite it having the largest distribution among UK men’s magazines, at 502,667 copies a week, according to ABC figures for the first six months of the year.
The magazine celebrated its tenth anniversary last year.
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Asked if there would be any job cuts as a result of the magazine’s closure, a Shortlist spokesperson said a consultation would be undertaken “in due course”, but would not comment on how many staff were affected.
As part of its restructure, the group said it will focus on developing the Stylist brand by launching new events next year as well as a fitness studio and product range.
It has also hired staff in plans for a new Stylist digital operation in the US, with group chief executive Ella Dolphin saying the “time is right for Stylist content in America”.
Dolphin added: “For the last ten years Stylist has consistently grown in strength. The new business will expand into fresh territories and areas outside of publishing to serve the Stylist audience further.
“Brand development, launches and acquisitions are a priority… Stylist combines the power of feminism and liberal politics with all the joy of fashion and beauty in a truly confident, modern product.”
Stylist editor-in-chief Lisa Smosarki said: “Stylist has always inspired intelligent women who want more from their world and served as a spirited, brave, advocate for our audience.
“Never before has this message and momentum been so important and relevant, and we are excited to be leading the charge as we enter our tenth year.”
Shortlist magazine editor Joseph Mackertich today tweeted about the title’s closure, saying: “Very sad but very proud. Thanks for reading, everyone.”
A spokesperson told Press Gazette that the last issue of Shortlist will be published on 20 December.
Following news of its closure, Shortlist has been met with praise from a number of journalists:
https://twitter.com/Terri_White/status/1063419884820930560
Sad news about Shortlist, especially after the team's excellent work for Pride earlier this year. I hate seeing magazines die; they are brilliant. pic.twitter.com/ioKoLPZZ0I
— Justin Myers (@theguyliner) November 16, 2018
shortlist has been going from strength to strength editorially, and has some of the most talented people in the industry working on it. such a shame to hear it’ll be going out of print ??
— michael segalov (@MikeSegalov) November 16, 2018
Men’s magazine circulations have slumped across the board in recent years, with the likes of Men’s Health reporting a 16 per cent drop year-on-year in the first half of this year.
Stylist enjoyed a circulation of 403,885 per issue according to the latest ABC figures. The group claims email newsletter Mr Hyde, for men, has 95,000 subscribers while Emerald Street, its equivalent for women, has 130,000.
Stylist’s digital portfolio is said to reach 2.1m monthly unique users and to be growing on mobile in the UK.
Time Inc. closed the free weekly music magazine NME’s print title in March as it faced “ongoing losses”.
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