CHIC

The first issue of Joyce Hopkirk’s Chic magazine hits the newsstands on Thursday. It is a bi-monthly aimed at women over 40 but billed as a magazine “for the grown woman” which is about “attitude rather than age”.

The magazine is an attempt to create a new sector in the women’s market, filling a gap between the younger profiled glossies like Options and Cosmopolitan and the homely down-market read offered by titles like Woman’s Journal to the 40 plus age group.

The initial impression of the first issue is that it has been pitched extremely well. The front cover is graced by Patricia Hodge who epitomises the elegant, confident and sophisticated mature woman. Readers are tempted to look further with cover-lines promising revelations on Ms Hodges beauty secrets as well as the up-beat optimism of “12 pages of real life inspirations and advice”.

Not surprisingly, since Chic is the brainchild of Joyce Hopkirk, it is hard not to see it as Cosmopolitan grown up. Indeed twenty-one years on from Cosmo’s launch Hopkirk makes no apologies for “writing for my own kind, grown-up women who don’t fall apart when the first wrinkle appears”. The editorial mix provides a blend of glamour and woman- to- woman advice; sumptuously photographed fashions and advice on anti-wrinkle cream. The Cosmo style of confronting sexual issues has mellowed into discussions of hormone replacement therapy, with the raciest comment coming from Mrs Paddy Ashdown describing her husbands’ exercise routine as sounding like “an elephant in orgasm”.

The 40-55 age group are heavy buyers of lifestyle/ home interest magazines such as House and Home , and Hopkirk caters for this with “Home Front” features including designer dining accessories, entertaining and the garden. Overall there is a positive and lively feel to the magazine, with features on making a new start and making the most of experience when re-entering the job market. Shopping sprees, driving, book reviews and reader offers are all included ensuring something for all mature tastes.

Chic is published by Hamerville and is its second consumer title following Homeflair in 1990. Larger publishers have in the past backed away from magazines for the older lady since they argue that the term “older woman” does not help sales. If any title can cook up a recipe to appeal to ABC1 40-55 women, then Chic has the well-blended ingredients to do so.

Appearance: A4,glossy,perfect bound

Ad:ed ratio: 25:75

Pagination:130

Cover price: £1.70 (Bi-Monthly)

Print Run: 200,000

Col Page Rate: £4250

Ads.Include: Lancome, Rolex, Nivea Visage, White Diamonds Perfume, Duloppillo, Russell & Bromley, Clavins, Ponds, Wella.

Display Ads: Clare Macdonald, 071-734 3430

Classified Ads: Shirley Harris 0923 237799

NRS top ten women’s magazines ranked by readership coverage of ABC1 women 35-54

Source: NRS Jul’92-Jun’93.