By Alyson Fixter
German
publishing giant Hubert Burda Media will face fierce rival Bauer head
on next week with a launch into the UK market of a women’s real life
and celebrity weekly called Full House .
Three former emplopyees
of Bauer, publisher of Take A Break , have joined Burda for the new
project -Alan Urry, former Bauer managing director; Carl Styants,
ex-deputy editor of Take A Break ; and Simon Hesling, previously
publisher of Take A Break .
Urry has become chief executive of
the UK arm of Hubert Burda Media, while Styants takes on the editorship
of Full House and Hesling becomes managing director of the UK arm.
The
launch of the magazine, which Burda claims will open up a new market
with a unique mix of real-life and celebrities, comes a week after a
denial from the company that it had any “concrete plans” to launch in
the UK.
A spokesman for Burda said: “The magazine is set to
redefine the weekly market by offering a combination of real-life
stories, celebrity interviews and entertainment in a way that current
titles do not.
“In research, readers clearly identified Full
House as a magazine which stands out from existing weekly categories by
combining these three elements in a new, bright and breezy format.”
Full House is the third women’s weekly to launch this year.
Upmarket
lifestyle glossy Grazia was launched three weeks ago by Emap and IPC’s
real-life title PickMe Up hit newsstands in January.
Hesling said: “We have assembled an expert editorial and executive team focused on achieving success.
“There
continues to be considerable growth across the women’s weekly sector
and there is most definitely space for a title that combines true life,
celebrity, prizes and puzzles in this innovative way. Full House will
open up a new area in the market.”
Like Pick Me Up and Grazia , the first issue will be supported by a nationwide television campaign.
While
Bauer is currently the undisputed leader in the women’s weekly market,
with Take A Break selling 1,222,774 copies an issue, the two companies
are fierce rivals in the German market.
Burda attempted to make a
dent in the UK in March 2003 with the launch of young women’s magazine
Amber , a version of popular German title Young Lisa , but it flopped
so badly it was withdrawn after a few weeks.
The launch coincides with Northern & Shell’s launch of its women’s weekly, Take 5 .
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog