August 10, 2017updated 20 Feb 2023 11:01am

Mag ABCs: Tough times for women’s weeklies with Now down 21 per cent and Look falling 35 per cent

Time Inc magazines Now and Look have suffered the heaviest fall in sales year-on-year within the declining UK women’s weeklies sector, the latest ABC figures for the first half of the year show.

Look was down by 35 per cent to 59,390 copies per week from nearly 92,000 on the previous year, marking the biggest drop in combined (print and digital) circulation across the board.

The figures, covering the start of January to the end June this year, show that of the 24 audited UK women’s weeklies, half recorded a double-figure fall in sales year-on-year.

Now is down 21 per cent year-on-year to 86,838 followed by Closer, owned by Bauer Media, down 20 per cent year-on-year to 196,126.

In June, Time announced that more than 100 journalists would be at risk of redundancy as it sought to consolidate staff, with Look and Woman magazines said to be involved in the shake-up.

Woman’s Weekly was Time Inc’s best performing weekly title, with a circulation of 267,081 down 6 per cent on the previous year.

Sales of Heat magazine are down 17 per cent year-on-year while Grazia is down 13 per cent year-on-year.

Ok! Magazine is down 4 per cent year to 170,231 while Hello! – which sells more than 60,000 additional copies than its glossy rival – recorded a decline in sales of 9 per cent year-on-year.

UK women’s weeklies total combined circulation, Jan-June 2017 (source: ABC):

Product	Owner	Total	Year-on-Year % Change	% Actively Purchased
Take a Break	H Bauer Publishing	515,019	-8.4	100
Stylist (FREE)	Shortlist Media Ltd	400,942	-0.9
Woman’s Weekly	Time Inc. (UK) Ltd	267,081	-6	99.9
HELLO!	Hello! Ltd	230,940	-8.8	95.9
Chat	Time Inc. (UK) Ltd	225,436	-11.4	100
That’s Life	H Bauer Publishing	204,065	-7.3	100
Closer	Bauer Consumer Media	196,126	-19.8	96.2
The People’s Friend	D C Thomson & Co Ltd	186,817	-7.6	99.6
New!	Northern & Shell Magazines Ltd	184,021	-15.1	98.8
Woman	Time Inc. (UK) Ltd	183,872	-17.6	100
Woman’s Own	Time Inc. (UK) Ltd	170,385	-10.9	100
OK! Magazine	Northern & Shell PLC	170,231	-3.5	89.4
Bella	H Bauer Publishing	161,647	-8.2	100
Best	Hearst Magazines UK	130,506	-8.6	98.1
Real People	Hearst Magazines UK	124,859	-11.7	98.9
Pick Me Up	Time Inc. (UK) Ltd	121,503	-9	100
Heat	Bauer Consumer Media	120,175	-16.6	90.9
Grazia	Bauer Consumer Media	110,031	-13.4	89.7
Star	Northern & Shell PLC	107,840	-14.3	98.7
Reveal	Hearst Magazines UK	100,685	-11.6	97.7
My Weekly	D C Thomson & Co Ltd	98,814	-1.5	93.6
Now	Time Inc. (UK) Ltd	86,838	-20.8	99.9
Love It!	ACH Publishing	82,830	3.5	100
Look	Time Inc. (UK) Ltd	59,390	-35.4	96.6