Launch of the week
With the weather taking a nicer turn, and Brexit causing more and more people to look at domestic holidays, it’s the perfect time to push Kelsey Media’s Coast staycation spin-off
Coast Saltwater Living
On sale out now
Frequency quarterly
Price £6.99
Distributor Seymour
Display with Coast, BBC Countryfile
From the team behind Coast magazine, this is a quarterly, compact-sized publication dedicated to the UK coast.
It looks at staying in and travelling around the country near open water, with a stay-
cation special in its debut issue – timely given the potential Brexit-inspired problems with travelling to Europe.
The issue promises to have more than 100 mini-breaks and getaways, with more on dog-friendly beaches and places to stay, as well as glamping and wellbeing breaks.
It’s all wrapped up in the kind of size which Kelsey Media, the company behind Coast, says will make it easy to rack in front of other publications in the travel or house and garden sections.
Highlights Puzzlefun
On sale out now
Frequency one shot
Price £3.99
Distributor Seymour
Display with Junior Puzzle Fun, Polly’s Puzzle Fun
- On the shelves on the day many kids break up from school, this is designed to entertain eight-to-12-year-olds during the Easter holidays.
- The GMC publication includes content from Highlights, the leading children’s puzzle brand in the US.
Krash Presents Fortnite
On sale out now
Frequency monthly
Price £4.99
Distributor Marketforce
Display with 110% Gaming
- The Fortnite craze shows no sign of abating – this recent launch is now up to its fourth issue.
- It contains everything the game’s young army of fans needs to know about the latest season, with a competition offering PlayStation Plus memberships.
Marvel Select: Avengers Disassembled
On sale out now
Frequency one shot
Price £9.99
Distributor Marketforce
Display with Empire, Total Film, Starburst
- With Avengers: Endgame set to be one of the year’s biggest blockbusters, this bookazine features comic-book superhero adventures.
- The graphic novel-style publication features thrilling events similar to those in the movies.
OOF
On sale out now
Frequency biannual
Price £6
Distributor oof@oofmagazine.com
Display with FourFourTwo, Mundial
- A magazine that looks at the junction between art and football, and everything in between the two.
- David Beckham is the cover star, with a feature looking at Sam Taylor-Johnson’s video portrait of the iconic player.
Dalesman
On sale out now
Frequency monthly
Price £3.30
Distributor Dalesman Publishing
Display with Yorkshire Life
- The long-standing Yorkshire magazine is celebrating its 80th anniversary, having published its first issue in April 1939.
- The magazine is celebrating throughout the year, with a special April cover and, in May, a free replica of the first issue.
SoccerBible
On sale out now
Frequency quarterly
Price £10
Distributor Marketforce
Display with FourFourTwo, Gaffer
- More independently published football material, another weighty publication sitting in the intersection where football meets style and music.
- Young talent such as Man City’s Phil Foden, Arsenal’s Matteo Guendouzi, and Juventus and Italy prodigy Moise Kean.
VW Bus
On sale 10 April
Frequency monthly
Price £3.95
Distributor Seymour
Specialist choice
Who buys it?
Staff from a nearby garage who do upholstery are keen fans of it.
How do you display it?
It’s in with our car magazines, but we’ve made a double-facing of it, so customers can see it easily.
Magazines reporter
editorial@newtrade.co.uk
My week in magazines
The magazine market owes a fair bit to James Brown, who created Loaded, then Jack, and more during his lengthy stint in the publishing world, so his arrival at FourFourTwo, coming “out of retirement” as editor in chief should make for great material for mag watchers.
And it was interesting to note his comments at a Q&A session with marketing publication The Drum recently.
“I started Loaded because there wasn’t a magazine for me,” he recalled. “Once again, I find myself in the newsagent and don’t see any magazines I want to buy. That means there is an opportunity… I want to read a really good football mag.”
There are some football mags for grown-ups out there, not least Mundial, but Brown’s stated aim is not to woo a whole generation who don’t necessarily currently buy magazines, rather to get older readers to return to the market.
He continued: “I don’t see the point in trying to sell a magazine to a generation that don’t want to buy magazines when there are people out there looking and there is nothing for them.”
It’s a feeling that resonates, not least because, outside of the well-stocked central London stores, and one or two good locals near me, too often I go into a newsagent to buy something, only to leave empty-handed when there’s too little choice.
Brown’s approach may not win over Generation Z or any other younger demographic, but these, he counters, will have a website and digital subs offering to cater to them.
Rather than chase elusive customers, Brown and FourFourTwo will target consumers they know are there, but need to be tempted back with a strong print offering.
Retailers should stock as wide a selection as possible to woo back the lapsed customer.
Comments
This article doesn't have any comments yet, be the first!