Time for some new beginnings in one of the most lucrative sectors Publishers are trying to inject fresh life into the women's glossy magazine sector through a series of major launches in 2000. The sector contains some of the biggest brand names in magazine publishing, and is one of the retail trade's bankers. The top three titles ­ Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan and Prima ­ sell more than a million copies each month between them, and generate around £35m in news stand revenue annually. Women's glossies are generally defined as the mainstream fashion and lifestyle titles, most of which are monthlies. Many of the titles that dominate the sector have been around for years, and the consensus among several major publishers appears to be that 2000 is the time to offer readers something new. Encouragingly for retailers, the emphasis seems to be on finding niche areas not served by existing titles. If the new launches work, they should grow the overall market rather than just cannibalise sales from what's already there. For magazine watchers, one of the most eagerly awaited launches of the year has been Nova, the new fashion title from IPC Magazines. Nova is not a new title, and was a cult style magazine in the 1960s before falling into disuse in the 70s. According to Rita Lewis, publishing director of fashion at IPC, the millennium is the time to bring it back to the news stands in a form which will appeal to modern, fashion conscious women. "Nova is a distinct fashion brand in the market, and we think people are always very keen to have a look at a new magazine," said Lewis. "The existing fashion titles such as Vogue and Elle are very good magazines, but inevitably fashion moves on. "We believe there is room in the market for a magazine that is a bit younger and a bit funkier, and especially one which reflects the fact that fashion is driven by the streets as well as the catwalk." The launch of Nova has certainly been high profile, and many retailers will have been offered the distinctive display units by its distributor MarketForce. Lewis admits it is early days for the new magazine, but claims initial feedback has been encouraging. Another new launch into the women's glossy market for 2000 has been PS, a title that Dennis Publishing claims is breaking entirely new ground in the category. The current boom in home shopping, fuelled in part by the internet, prompted Dennis to produce a magazine which offers readers easy ways to buy everything featured in it, either by telephone or net. Liz Hawkes, marketing manager at Dennis, is quick to emphasise this does not mean PS is a glorified home shopping catalogue. "The whole ethos of PS is that it is a glossy women's magazine, but one which uses its advertising in a very different way to traditional products on the market," said Hawkes. "There is a lot of interest in home shopping ­ people no longer see it as a slightly downmarket activity, but one which can help them save time in their busy schedules. "All women's magazines feature products and services on their editorial pages, and readers will often think that looks good, where can I get hold of it?' We're making it easy for them to do so." According to Hawkes, PS was developed after research by Dennis showed a significant number of women felt there was currently little in the glossy market to interest them. "We decided that to have an impact in the sector there was no point following the formula of what's already there. I think anything that is going to succeed has to be genuinely different, and hopefully PS is," said Hawkes. The third major launch into the glossies sector so far in 2000 is Aura, and yet again women who may feel poorly served by the rest of the market are the target. Aura is aimed at women aged 30 plus who are looking for a magazine with a more mature and intelligent approach than the diet of sex and fashion offered by some titles, but without sacrificing fun and style. Published by Parkhill Publishing ­ the company set up by veteran Fleet Street journalist Eve Pollard ­ Aura hopes to grow the existing market by bringing back women who may have stopped reading magazines altogether. Launch editor Deirdre Vine said: "We're talking to tough customers ­ well off, well educated and time hungry ABC1 baby boomer women. "They've probably been reading magazines for years and have seen it, read it, done it all before. The last thing women need is yet another magazine to dictate what they should wear, how they should think and how long their hair should be." Vine has no doubts that for many women, existing titles in the market had become "bland and anodyne". She said: "People will only read if we can come up with a new proposition. The market does need a shot in the arm of the sort that we and other launches are giving it. "We were delighted with the support the first issue of Aura got from the trade, and we're hoping to have sold around 100,000 copies through retail." But while the new launches into the women's glossies market try to carve out a niche, there is also plenty of activity among the established titles as they try to reinforce their position. The last set of ABC sales figures showed some of the biggest magazines in the market having a tough time. Prima, until recently the top selling women's monthly, Company and Woman & Home showed significant year on year circulation falls, and retailers can expect to see them working hard to turn those trends around. By contrast, some titles proved you don't have to be a new launch to achieve sales growth, most notably Woman's Journal. Not long ago, this magazine looked distinctly moribund, and it was difficult to see where it would find new sales in such a competitive market. However, a 20% year on year sales increase ­ coupled with an even more impressive 29% period on period rise ­ made Woman's Journal one of the star performers last time round. IPC's Rita Lewis said there was no great secret to the magazine's revival ­ it was all down to an improved product and some good old fashioned retail marketing. Lewis said: "Woman's Journal had become a little bit forgotten on the news stand, and MarketForce has worked hard to get retail support and to ensure there is the availability the trade needs." But, says Lewis, no amount of trade activity will work if the product is not right. "Woman's Journal was redesigned under a new editor and from last September was offering readers far better value ­ especially through the quality of its gifts and promotions. The magazine's performance in the last set of ABCs showed that if you can get the magazine right, you can bring in readers even in a highly competitive market." With more launches expected later in 2000, the burst of activity in the woman's glossy market shows no signs of running out of steam. And this year's spate of new arrivals can take heart from the performance of Red, which has become an established part of the women's glossy market three years after launching. When Red first appeared, there was some scepticism over whether its publisher Emap could carve out a niche alongside giants such as Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire and She. It has managed to do so, and Red now sells around 180,000 copies per issue ­ the vast majority of them through the newstrade ­ and increased its sale by 4% year on year last time round. {{CTN }}