View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
August 21, 2003updated 17 May 2007 11:30am

Young women’s market blighted by falling sales

By Press Gazette

The young women’s market continues to suffer as both remaining titles, More! and 19, dropped sales. The market fell by 5.9 per cent overall and 19 fell 9.4 per cent, taking sales to 97,161.

Emap Elan announced earlier this year that it would pump £3m into market leader More! after sales fell by 15.1 per cent in February’s ABCs.

The magazine was positioned as an older read and an accompanying website, moremagazine.co.uk, targeting women aged 16 to 24 was launched.

More! was made more “glamorous and newsy” and the price was dropped to £1. The first relaunch issue was published at the end of June.

Emap Elan’s managing director of youth and women’s titles, Dawn Bébe, said figures for the relaunch issue already show sales of almost double the new ABC figure of 250,869.

She added that the young women’s market no longer existed as it once did.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

“‘Young woman’ is a redundant phrase. There is just a massive woman’s market now instead. We have positioned More! as an older magazine but 19 is still precariously positioned between teenage and grown-up.”

Sandy Whetton, managing director of IPC Southbank, said: ” I think these figures have got to be taken in the context of the marketplace. It is incredibly tough.

“We have been out and talked to readers and we have got some issues we need to address. I don’t think it’s about being older, it’s about attitude,” he added.

By Mary Stevens

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network