Up to 40 jobs to go at Hearst UK as it “streamlines” its lifestyle and homes titles.
The magazines giant has promoted two senior editors to become editorial directors across six titles.
Good Housekeeping, Prima and Red will join up as the lifestyle group and Country Living, ELLE Decoration and House Beautiful will become the homes group.
A spokesperson said: “We are proposing a number of changes to both our editorial and commercial teams to ensure that our brands are in the best shape possible for the future and to allow us to develop more content in key areas where we see an opportunity for growth.
“As a result we do expect a number of people to leave the business, but we won’t know until the end of the consultation process what that number will be.
“Hearst UK prides itself on transparent communication coupled with a sensitive approach and we will ensure that everyone is supported with great care.”
Editor of Red Sarah Bailey (pictured above) will oversee the lifestyle group as editorial director and editor of Country Living Susy Smith (pictured below) will oversee the homes group.
Executive editors will be appointed for each individual magazine over the next few days.
Bailey said: “I am thrilled to be taking ownership of three such fantastic brands. Red has been dear to my heart for a long time and will always be so.
“I’m looking forward to working with the excellent teams on each of these brands to ensure that we continue to delight and inform our audiences.”
Smith said: “Country Living, ELLE Decoration and House Beautiful are all successful multi-faceted brands in their own right.
“The three titles together are a formidable portfolio to go out to market with. I am very much looking forward to working with their incredibly experienced teams to accelerate the growth of the three brands even further.”
Chief executive of Hearst UK James Wildman said: “Susy and Sarah are both exceptionally talented, experienced Editors, who have the strategic nous, the creativity and the vision to ensure that our lifestyle and homes brands continue to strongly deliver against their huge potential and the expectations of their audiences.
“We are currently having conversations with the senior editorial talent affected by these changes to discuss where we might utilise their exceptional skills and expertise within the business and we will be making further announcements in due course.”
Last month Time Inc, which publishes many of the UK’s biggest magazine titles, revealed that it was putting 111 journalists at risk of redundancy.
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