Condé Nast Set To Bring US Glamour To The UK

Condé Nast is to launch a UK edition of the successful US young women’s title Glamour in the Spring of next year. The news comes just one week after Emap announced that it was folding Minx as a result of declining circulation (see July-December 1999 ABCs – Performance By Publisher).

With an average size issue of 220 pages, there are rumours that the title will appear in A5 format. Positioned in the young women’s sector it will cover mid-market fashion, beauty and features, with a strong celebrity focus.

Nicholas Coleridge, managing director of Condé Nast commented on the thinking behind the launch: “Over the past ten years, Condé Nast has come to dominate the top end of the British magazine market.” he said, “Glamour is our first launch into the middle market and we are going in with all guns blazing.”

The hired guns heading the project include former publishing director of Cosmopolitan and Good Housekeeping Simon Kippin, who will be publisher, and editor Jo Elvin. Just like Jill Hudson, the editor behind another upcoming women’s title launch, BBC Worldwide’s Eve (see

In the states, Glamour has a circulation of 2.2m, while an Italian edition launched in 1992 is among the top three women’s titles in the country. A German version is to be launched at the same time as the UK one.

But is the sector which has already seen the launch of Nova this year and is about to add Eve to its groaning shelves before the year is out able to take another women’s title? Despite an overall sector decrease in circulation of 4% for the last audit period, strong titles have remained fairly stable over the last couple of years (see above). If Glamour can establish itself as as strong a brand here as it is Stateside, then perhaps. Simon Kippin, publisher of the new title thinks so: “The magazine has researched incredibly well across the UK and I know we have a winner.” he says.

Condé Nast: 020 7499 9080