BBC’s Clothes Show loses sales fight to teen fashion rivals

BBC Magazines has been forced to close its style magazine, Clothes

Show, which was struggling to compete in the aggressive young women’s

fashion magazine sector.

The final issue of the glossy monthly magazine came out last week. In

its last ABC audit for January to June, its average sale was 150,494,

down nearly 3 per cent on the previous year.

Sources close to the magazine say too much money would have had to be

invested in the title just to hold its current circulation.

Gillian Laskier, director of the family group, BBC Worldwide UK region,

said: ’Despite the fact that the magazine is at its highest standard

ever in terms of editorial, design and ad sales revenue, it has not been

possible to achieve enough return on our investment.’

Laskier added that BBC Worldwide had an ambitious expansion programme

lined up with the launch of two monthly magazines in the home interest

and science market in the first half of 1998.

Clothes Show magazine has faced fierce competition from the Emap Elan’s

revamped Looks magazine and IPC’s 19. The magazine, which was aimed at

16- to 24-year-olds, was also squeezed by Attic Futura’s Sugar, which

grew 31 per cent year on year to 474,104 in the latest ABCs.

This article was first published on Campaign