BBC Worldwide has pledged to spend £12m boosting the profile of its home interest magazines over the next five years.
The investment is one of the biggest the BBC has made in its magazines and will kick off next month with the relaunch of BBC Good Homes.
The title is expected to unveil an overhaul following extensive research and the appointment of Lisa Allen as editor. It will feature 32 extra editorial pages and increased coverage of property and decorating in a bid to improve sales and turn around the 8.8 per cent fall, to 106,213, it showed in the latest ABCs.
The May issue, out 1 April, will also include a free copy of sister magazine BBC Dream Homes.
Publisher Brian Whittaker said Good Homes would adopt a “more grown-up and even more inspiring approach”. The investment will go towards supporting retailer promotions, advertising, sampling and covermounting.
The BBC will also publish Easy Decorating as a oneoff standalone title next week. It follows the success of Easy Gardening, which showed the “Easy” brand had potential to develop in other sectors with its accessible, easy to understand editorial and advice.
Edited by the former editor of BBC Good Homes, Julie Savill, Easy Decorating will have a cover price of £1.99 and print run of 120,000. It will be positioned alongside BBC Good Homes and Dream Homes on the news-stand and go on sale for an eight-week period.
Whittaker said it complemented the BBC’s other homes titles. “It’s written and designed in a userfriendly way, to guide readers in creating a fantastic home for any decorating project,” he said.
By Ruth Addicott
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