NatMags Joins With Australian Publisher For UK Launches
The National Magazine Company has come together with one of Australia’s biggest magazine publishers to produce a joint venture dedicated to launching weekly consumer titles.
The partnership will see Australian Consolidated Press, which publishes more than 120 leading titles in Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia, work with Natmag to breath new life into the women’s weekly sector.
The new company will launch on 1 January next year under the leadership of former ACP chief executive, Colin Morrison, and former head of NatMag’s home and lifestyle group Jessica Burley, who becomes chief operating officer.
The joint venture will initially publish NatMag’s existing weekly title, Best, but it is expected to look at importing some of ACP’s most successful women’s titles to the UK, in a move that will intensify already fierce competition in the sector.
Commenting on the deal, Duncan Edwards, managing director of NatMags, said: “The past five years have witnessed major growth in weekly magazine sales in the UK and we expect this to continue. I have made no secret of our desire to become a serious player in the weekly market and this joint venture represents a great way to achieve this.”
Morrison added: “Consumer spending on weekly magazines in the UK has increased by 19% in the last three years and there have been substantial changes in the sector. We aim to become a leading weekly publisher by exploiting the respective strengths and resources of our two shareholders.”
NatMags believes joint ventures are the most effective route to expanding its business, and earlier this year the company formed a partnership with American publishing giant Rodale International to work on launching a range of new health and fitness titles (see Natmags Forms New Joint Venture Company With Rodale).
The partnership with ACP represents an expansion of a longstanding joint venture between the Australian publisher and NatMag’s US parent company, Heart Corporation. It is expected that the new initiative will lead to the creation of a number of new jobs as the company grows.
NatMag currently publishes 18 consumer titles, including Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Harpers & Queen and Esquire. The publisher is also working on the launch of its first celebrity magazine, Reveal, which will go head-to-head with Emap’s Closer later this year (see Natmags To Take On Closer With New Celebrity Weekly).
National Magazine Company: 0207 439 5000 www.natmags.co.uk
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