Cut price Cosmo adds 59%

A slashed cover price, increased distribution of free copies and the introduction of pop-up distribution points all helped women’s magazine Cosmopolitan turn in the star circulation performance of Britain’s main consumer magazines last year.

Cosmopolitan

The Hearst-owned title, which cut its cover price to £1, recorded a year-on-year circulation increase of 59% in the latest Consumer Magazines Report from industry body the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC). Cosmopolitan’s  total circulation (including sales and free copies distributed through gyms, shops and workplaces) reached 401,090. Of that total some 287,964 were actively purchased in the UK and Ireland.
Slimming World continued its remarkable growth adding almost 25% to circulation to reach 604,771 actively purchased copies. It takes the number four spot in the table behind the big three TV magazines – TV Choice, What’s On TV, and Radio Times – all of which saw circulations fall.
If the same trends are repeated in the coming year Slimming World will soar ahead of Radio Times into third place.
Satirical current affairs magazine Private Eye was another magazine to increase circulation at a time when most magazines declined. It was up  4.7% and had an actively purchased total of 216,808.
Other magazines on the up included: Elle; Empire; Healthy; Women’s Health; What Car; Peppa Pig Bag-o-Fun and CBeebies.