New Launches Threaten Price War For Women’s Weeklies
News International will next month launch its first women’s weekly magazine, putting increased pressure on an already crowded market and, according to industry speculation this morning, sparking a price war as rivals scramble to attract readers.
The publisher has remained tight-lipped over its plans for new title, Love It, but has reportedly hired former New Woman publisher Augusta Barnes to oversee the launch.
It is expected that Love It will launch at a discounted rate, slashing its usual cover price of 60p in half to attract new readers, a move which may spark similar moves from rival publishers in the real life sector, such as IPC and H Bauer.
The National Magazine Company will also keep a keen eye on the market, as it prepares its own real life weekly, Real People, for launch next week with the backing of a £6 million marketing push.
News International’s price promotion will see the new title enter the market with the lowest cover price of any women’s weekly title, before adopting its regular price to become joint cheapest in the sector with rivals new! and Pick Me Up.
As a consequence, rival real life magazines such as IPC’s Chat and Bauer’s Take A Break and That’s Life may be forced to drop their cover prices to compete with the new launch.
| Title | Publishing Co | Cover Price |
| OK | Northern & Shell Plc | £2.00 |
| Hello! | Hello! Ltd | £1.90 |
| Grazia | Emap | £1.50 |
| Heat | Emap Elan | £1.50 |
| Closer | Emap | £1.00 |
| Lady | Lady | £1.00 |
| Now | IPC | £1.00 |
| Reveal | ACP-Natmag | £1.00 |
| Star | Northern & Shell Plc | £1.00 |
| Woman | IPC | £0.76 |
| Womans Own | IPC | £0.76 |
| Chat | IPC | £0.74 |
| Best | ACP-Natmag | £0.70 |
| Take A Break | H Bauer Publishing | £0.70 |
| Womans Weekly | IPC | £0.70 |
| Bella | H Bauer Publishing | £0.68 |
| My Weekly | DC Thomson & Co Ltd | £0.65 |
| Peoples Friend | DC Thomson & Co Ltd | £0.65 |
| Thats Life! | H Bauer Publishing | £0.65 |
| new! | Northern & Shell Plc | £0.60 |
| Pick Me Up | IPC | £0.60 |
The end of 2005 saw Bauer embark on a multi-million pound TV advertising campaign for Take a Break (see Take a Break Launches Multi-Million Pound Ad Push), while IPC recently reshuffled the senior management of some of its women’s weekly titles in order to boost performance (see IPC Shuffles Women’s Weekly Editors To Spur Success).
The latest ABC results show the women’s weekly sector given a boost by new launches (see ABC Results Jan-Jun 2005:New Launches Boost Women’s Weeklies ABC Results Jan-Jun 2005:New Launches Boost Women’s Weeklies ), as Emap’s Grazia performed well, reporting a debut circulation of 155,157 to surpass expectations, while IPC’s Pick Me Up recorded its first circulation figures at a healthy 503,950 following the UK’s largest ever sampling exercise (see IPC Launches Pick Me Up To Boost Weekly Portfolio).
News International: 020 7782 3922 www.newscorp.co.uk