BBC Homes & Antiques magazine has hired the former editor of House Beautiful to help increase its homes coverage as part of a revamp that starts with the November issue.
Sarah Whelan will take on the role of style director and oversee the new content, which is expected to give readers more practical advice on choosing fine art, ceramics, furniture and antiques for their homes. The format will also change to 286 x 215mm to make it a more manageable size.
Whelan has a solid background in the homes market, having been deputy editor on market leader IPC’s Ideal Home before being poached by the National Magazine Company to head House Beautiful in 2002.
It is hoped her appointment will help drive sales of Homes & Antiques, which in the last ABCs fell 6.2 per cent year-on-year, to 141,077. This has been blamed on increasing competition in the marketplace.
The new format and added content follow a series of changes to the magazine’s design over the last 12 months, including the introduction of a new logo last September.
In the April issue the logo was revamped again, and there were additional design changes made to the cover in a bid to make it less “clumsy” and easier on the eye.
By Ruth Addicott
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