ABC Results Jan-Jun 2006:Mixed Results Revealed For Women’s Weekly Market

Take A Break remains the leading title in the Women’s Weekly magazine sector, with latest ABC figures for the six month period to June 2006 revealing the publication to have a circulation of nearly 1.1 million copies.

Despite having lost sales of more than 118,340, a drop of almost 10% year on year, the H Bauer title sits at the top spot, with a circulation of almost double its nearest rivals, Emap’s celeb-focused Closer and Heat.

However, both brands boosted their sales year on year, with Closer rising by more than 9% and Heat adding 3.5% to its total distribution. The titles now boast a circulation of more than 590,200 and 579,800 respectively.

IPC’s Chat has slipped to fourth place in the sector from second place last year, dropping almost 55,000 copies from its circulation, to leave its total at 554,375 copies.

Mixed fortunes were shown for other celeb-focused weekly titles in the sector, with Reveal and Star bolstering total sales significantly. Star‘s total distribution rose by almost 50%, adding more than 86,000 sales to leave it with a circulation of almost 270,000. Reveal pushed its total up by more than a quarter, gaining more than 69,080 sales to give it a total of 342,245.

OK! and Hello improved upon their total circulation by 2.8% year on year, with OK! growing to a total of 547,714 copies, ahead of its rival, which grew by just under 11,200 issues to leave its sales at more than 403,666.

Now shed almost 9% year on year, leaving its circulation at an average of almost 540,000 issues a week.

That’s Life! and Pick Me Up reported significant losses, down almost 14% and almost 12% respectively. That’s Life!‘s circulation rests at 490,220, having shed more than 79,400 sales year on year, while Pick Me Up has lost almost 59,000 sales to give it a distribution of more than 445,000 issues.

Whilst some of the older, more established women’s weekly brands have suffered diminishing sales year on year, some of the newer up and coming titles have strengthened their profiles.

IPC’s triple bill of Woman, Woman’s Own and Woman’s Weekly all saw a fall in circulation year on year. Woman, which has the largest total distribution of the three at more than 417,00 copies per week, has seen its circulation decline by 14%. Woman’s Own and Woman’s Weekly dipped by over 13% and 8% respectively.

Emap’s weekly fashion-led publication, Grazia, reports an almost 13% climb in its circulation year on year, accumulating more than 20,000 new sales to give it an average total of more than 175,200 magazines per week.

The figures listed in NewsLine’s ABC reports are those reported by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) as at Thursday 17 August 2006. Late submissions and changes may be made after this date, and will thereafter be amended in MediaTel’s Press database.

ABC: 01442 870 800 www.abc.org.uk