ABC Consumer Magazines: by sector

The latest ABC Consumer Magazine release for July to December 2010 represents a fairly gloomy picture for the overall market, with new online formats and the recession having a big impact on sales.

However, there were a few exceptions to the downward trend, with some sectors actually benefiting from consumers’ purse-tightening such as Home Interests and Craft magazines.

Other sectors such as Holiday & Travel, most notably the Lonely Planet Magazine, and Health & Beauty also had some success, presumably because consumers are keen to research products before making more ‘careful’ purchases.

And luxury reads still exist in small numbers, with Women’s Lifestyle and Wedding & Brides posting some positive figures despite the downturn. News & Current Affairs titles such as The Economist and The Week and Sports, specifically Athletics magazines, also enjoyed some encouraging results.

However, other sectors were not as lucky. A number of titles in the Leisure Interests category including Entertainment & Listing magazines such as The Big Issue and Time Out and titles under the Film & Video Reviews section, including Empire, posted significant declines.

Other categories also seem to have been regarded as ‘non-essential’ in a post-recession market. Pets, Photography, Railway, Sports (general), Women’s Weekly, Children’s Magazines, Computing, Gardening, and Motoring all saw sales figures fall across the board, with only a few exceptions.

A number of household Men’s Lifestyle brands such as FHM and Loaded also took a hit, while the digital age continues to have an impact on sectors such as Music and Teenage magazines.