Healthy Magazine Bucks Trend With Reprint
Holland and Barrett’s Healthy magazine, published by River Publishing, has announced unexpectedly high sales for its September/October issue, bucking the current trend of decline amongst health titles and forcing the publisher to reprint the issue to cope with demand.
The reprint will add 50,000 copies to the rapidly declining stocks of the title, which is forecast to sell out three weeks ahead of schedule. The extra copies will extend the shelf life of the current stock and could make the current issue of Healthy its biggest selling edition ever.
The magazine is currently sold in all 472 Holland & Barrett stores, as well as in 13 Natures Way stores across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The title has experienced success in marked contrast to the recent spate of closures amongst the UK’s health magazine sector.
Earlier this year Dennis Publishing announced that it would stop producing its monthly women’s health and beauty magazine, Shape, after the title failed to compete for advertising revenue in the increasingly crowded sector (see Dennis Out Of Shape As Women’s Title Is Dropped).
Elsewhere, Good Health, Lifestyle & Beauty magazine was also forced to close earlier this year, as publishers Freebournes struggled to combat declining sales and reduced advertising revenue from the struggling lifestyle format, which was aimed at health conscious women aged between 33 and 55.
Commenting on the success of Healthy, Phil Geary, Holland and Barrett’s marketing director, said: “I am delighted with the recent performance of Healthy, which is going from strength to strength in spite of recent negativity surrounding the health magazine sector. The latest sales indicate that the title continues to appeal to a growing audience of people looking for expert advice and information on alternative health and well-being.”
However, despite the recent downturn, Holland and Barrett’s title is not the health and fitness market’s last hope and the sector still has room for several high-profile developments. The National Magazine Company recently announced a joint venture with American publishing giant Rodale International which could see the launch of a range of new health and fitness titles in the UK (see Natmags Forms New Joint Venture Company With Rodale).
River Publishing: 020 7306 03 04 www.therivergroup.co.uk
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