NatMags Adds Coast To Lifestyle Sector

The National Magazine Company has bought coastal lifestyle magazine Coast from Boat International, adding to its portfolio of living style guides and complementing the publishers successful Country Living.

The magazine will start being published quarterly, giving NatMags the chance to gauge consumer and advertiser reaction to the publication.

Commenting on the acquisition, Duncan Edwards, chief executive officer at the National Magazine Company said: “We have been looking at Coast since it launched a couple of years ago and when the opportunity came up to acquire it we decided to act.”

“The desire to live by, or visit the coast, is culturally embedded in the UK psyche and we believe there is an opportunity to harness this is in the pages of the magazine.”

Coast will be overseen by Country Living editor, Susy Smith, along with Liz Kershaw, executive group publishing director for Good HouseKeeping and Country Living.

Smith add: “I have admired Coast since the publication of the first issue, so I am absolutely delighted to be bringing it into the Country Living stable. It will fit perfectly with out brand and I think once we have given it the NatMag treatment it will become a wonderful companion for anyone whose heart is by the sea.”

The purchase of Coast will see NatMags strengthen its hold on the home interest sector, with the latest ABC figures for the six months to December 2004 showing NatMags titles performing well with House Beautiful, enjoying a 18.3% year on year rise in circulation figures to 215,360 and Country Living showing a 6.1% (see ABC Results Jul-Dec 2004: Natmags Tops Home Interest Sector).

Duncan Edwards was appointed to the new position of chief executive officer in May, adding to his role as managing director, with the additional title a “reflection of the reality of what Duncan has been doing”, according to Victor Ganzi, president and chief executive officer of The Heart Corporation. (see Natmags Appoints Edwards As Chief Executive).