ShortList, the free men’s lifestyle mag, is to close its print operations whilst its website will “evolve” to become a ‘product recommender’.
The news comes as publisher Shortlist Media announces a rebrand to The Stylist Group – leading on the female media brand it also publishes.
ShortList, which launched in 2007, currently leads the market in terms of circulation thanks to its free distribution model, dishing out more than 500,000 copies according to ABC figures.
Despite this, its publisher announced on Friday it was undergoing a “radical” restructure with the company focusing entirely on being a media brand for women where it wants to “strengthen its dominant position.”
Stylist, under editor-in-chief Lisa Smosarski, will expand “significantly” with a US digital operation, a franchised events business and a new fitness product.
According to the publisher, Family, The Stylist Group creative agency, has seen a 40 per cent uplift in female-targeted creative partnerships against the same period last year. The agency will now prioritise “building authority on urban, affluent women”.
The move to build a US presence has already begun, with staff being hired to win an American following.
“For the last 10 years Stylist has consistently grown in strength,” said the publisher’s CEO, Ella Dolphin. “The new business will expand into fresh territories and areas outside of publishing to serve the Stylist audience further. Brand development, launches and acquisitions are a priority.
“It’s clear the time is right for Stylist content in America. Stylist combines the power of feminism and liberal politics with all the joy of fashion and beauty in a truly confident, modern product.”
With the ShortList print product closing, the brand will live on as ShortList.com and will “evolve from a men’s lifestyle brand to a product recommender.”
