WWD.com now reports that Conde Nast will soon announce the fold of House & Garden and the shut down of its Web site, houseandgarden.com. The December issue will be its last.
“This has been a difficult decision to come to but we feel it is one that must be made at this time," said Conde Nast president and chief executive officer Charles Townsend. With the unexpected departure of the publisher of the magazine, we decided to take a serious look and reevaluate the title,” said Townsend. “Our investment in House & Garden throughout the years has been substantial and we no longer believe it is a viable business investment for the company.”
Advertising Age named Better Homes & Gardens (one of House & Garden's main competitors) magazine of the year recently. Perhaps the Meredith publication had too much of a lead on the underdog home and gardening magazine. It's Meredith's payback for the closing of Child magazine, which was due largely in part to Conde Nast's new parenting glossy, Cookie magazine (which was also named Advertising Age's best launch of the year). The battle will likely continue.