Desmond Gears Up For Launch Of New Women’s Glossy
Richard Desmond’s Northern & Shell is to make its first foray into the women’s glossy magazine market with the launch of a new fashion focused title called B Happy.
The company, which publishes the Daily Express Newspaper and OK! magazine, is planning to unveil the new title next spring in an attempt to compete with existing fashion and beauty heavyweights Elle and Vogue.
It is understood that Desmond has set aside between £2 million and £5 million to spend on developing the magazine, which will launch with the backing of an extensive television advertising campaign. The company is currently in the process of appointing a high-profile editor whose name will be announced shortly.
The title is expected to be similar to Condé Nast’s US magazine Lucky, which blends fashion with shopping. The title has been hugely successful since its launch in December 2000 and its circulation is forecast to reach 1 million by the end of this year, just behind Vogue‘s 1.3 million US circulation.
Reports suggest that Desmond believes there is a gap in the market following a recent decline in the popularity of Hachette Filipacchi’s Elle, the glossy fashion title for 18 to 35 year-old women. The last ABC result for the six months to June 2004 show that the magazine has seen circulation decline by 3% over the last two years to just over the 200,000 mark.
Desmond’s Northern & Shell has enjoyed considerable success in the weekly sector with its celebrity stalwart OK! and the recently launched Star magazine. However, the women’s monthly market will be a much harder nut to crack with the likes of Condé Nast’s Glamour and Natmag-owned Cosmopolitan casting a mighty shadow over the sector.
Media mogul Desmond has been working to strengthen his magazine portfolio over the last few months. He is understood to be planning the launch of a new men’s weekly title and recently registered the name KO! ahead of an expected autumn launch (see Desmond To Knock Out Competition In Men’s Weekly Market).
Northern & Shell: 020 7308 5090
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