ABC Consumer Jul-Dec 2009: Women’s Weeklies

H Bauer Publishing’s Take A Break remained on top of the women’s weekly magazine market for the six months to the end of December, and although it suffered a 4.6% year on year fall in circulation, its total still stands at around 900,000 copies.

Second place New!, published by Northern & Shell, recorded a massive increase in its circulation in Jul-Dec 2009, up 35% year on year – a real term rise of almost 158,000 – and 50% period on period, taking its total to just under 601,000 copies. This is a big rise on the 443,000 recorded in Jul-Dec 2008.

Coming up just behind New! is another Northern & Shell title, OK!, which enjoyed a 15.7% year on year increase to almost 589,000 copies in total for the period.

In a good period for the publisher, Star‘s circulation grew by a huge 83.4% year on year – real term growth of almost 224,000 copies – and 54.8% period on period. It now has a circulation of 492,000 copies, according to the latest ABC figures.

The first consumer magazine figures for free weekly Stylist put the title’s circulation at almost 411,000 copies, a pretty good start for the latest venture from Shortlist Media in what is a very competitive market.

Despite a large number of women’s weeklies suffering dips, some saw very healthy boosts to their totals. NatMags’ Reveal posted a 22.6% year on year rise, to almost 331,000 copies, H Bauer Publishing’s Bella was up 12.9% to 253,000, and there was a 43.5% rise for Hubert Burda Media UK’s Full House, giving it a circulation of 180,000.

Sticking with the success stories from this latest data release, England’s longest-established women’s weekly, The Lady, managed to grow its circulation by 9.3% year on year to just under 29,000. IPC Media’s Women’s Weekly and Bauer Consumer Media’s Grazia were both up by around 1% year on year, to almost 345,000 and 230,000 respectively.

Also on the up was Bauer’s More!, which now has a circulation of almost 193,000 following a year on year rise of 6.4%.

While IPC’s celebrity news and fashion weekly Now might be down by around 9% on the same period last year, it did manage to increase its circulation by 2.5% period on period, to around 394,000 copies. Another IPC title down year on year but up on H1 2009 was Pick Me Up, with an 11.8% fall countered by 2.1% growth period on period. It now has a total circulation figure of almost 330,000 copies.

Not all of the IPC titles in our round-up had such positive periods, however, with Woman’s Own down 8.3% year on year and Woman down 9%. They now have total circulation figures of under 299,000 and around 316,000, respectively.

Elsewhere, Hubert Burda Media’s Love It! was down 16.5% year on year and 8.1% period on period, to under 284,000 copies.