InStyle magazine in the UK has shut its doors to its print product, taking the brand to digital only, according to reports from The Guardian.
The UK edition of the fashion rag celebrate its 15th anniversary this year, with its circulation dropping by almost 18 per cent in the first six months of 2016 to 121,000 copies per month.
While Time Inc revealed it was closing the magazine, it would not comment on how many staff would be shown the door as it is still in consultations with staff.
B&T contacted Pacific Magazine, the operator of the InStyle Australia edition, for comment on whether this affects the Australian product.
UPDATE: General Manager, Fashion, Health and Beauty, Jackie Frank told B&T, “Pacific is absolutely committed to owning the fashion and beauty category.
“With 44 per cent market share in the fashion category, InStyle Australia is a key part of that strategy and our ongoing dominance.
“InStyle is performing incredibly well across all platforms. Under the new editorship of Emily Taylor, the brand has recently undergone a stunning redesign which has been embraced by readers and advertisers alike.
“In print, the October issue of InStyle Australia, starring Jennifer Lopez on the cover, far exceeded our expectations and recorded the brand’s highest sale of the past two years. InStyle Australia’s online and social audience continues to be highly engaged, with the brand’s total consumer touch points now reaching 1.3million.
“These results are a testament to the incredible work and dedication of the entire InStyle Australia team, who will continue to take the brand from strength to strength.”
Time Inc described its move to digital only a “bold shift”, per The Guardian reports.
“What we have achieved with InStyle over the last few years has been hugely rewarding and the team has, rightly, won numerous awards and nominations for their work across print and digital,” said editor Charlotte Moore.
“But the fashion world is changing dramatically, the way our audience interacts with it is changing and we have to change to meet that challenge. With a focus on delivering the InStyle experience across all digital platforms, we can really give our audience 24-hour access to all the fashion and beauty looks, trends and brands they clearly have such a huge appetite for.”
According to ComScore data, InStyle’s total monthly traffic is more than 10 million uniques, with reports suggesting that the publishers intend to take that figures and double it throughout 2017, with a little help from its US counterpart in the content department.
Per The Guardian, Time Inc’s UK managing director for fashion and beauty Justine Southall added, “This new focus for InStyle means we can propel it to a leading position in the UK digital fashion space.
“InStyle’s authority combined with this significantly boosted content offering will make it a compelling destination for consumers and a very attractive proposition for our advertising partners.”
The Australian edition of InStyle reported a monthly circulation figure of 45,390 in the six months to June 2016, per AMAA results, which was a drop of 3.8 per cent year-on-year.
