The annual market value of the wedding and brides magazine sector is more than £5.7m [Comag]. The high cover prices ­ £3.82 on average ­ and tendency of consumers to buy more than one title at a time means this can be a profitable sector for retailers. Figures from Comag show the sector has been performing above the national sales index for much of the time since December '99, with a particularly good performance at the start of this year. On the newsstands, You & Your Wedding from NatMag Specialist Media (AIM) takes the top slot with an ABC of 57,143. MD James Buchanan says that since the magazine was bought by the National Magazine Company last year, it has become stronger. "While we enjoyed unparalleled success for a small publisher against the likes of Condé Nast, having the weight of NatMags behind us has helped sustain our lead," he says. "The link has worked well as we knew the market very well, having launched in 1979, while NatMags has all the obvious advantages of a big publishing company." In this highly competitive market, titles need all the advantages they can get ­ IPC's Wedding & Home, the second bestselling title on the newsstands according to ABC, is only marginally behind You and Your Wedding with 56,003, and there is even less space between Wedding & Home and third-placed Brides from Condé Nast, with a newsstand figure of 55,897. According to Comag, IPC's Wedding & Home has the highest estimated annual retail revenue in the sector, with £1,464,900 annually, closely followed by You & Your Wedding at £1,432,900. Each of these top three title are bi-monthly, glossy and perfect bound, but with little separating them in terms of circulation and revenue, each claims its own differentiation. NatMags' Buchanan says: "You & Your Wedding differs from the competition in that it is not as traditional as Brides; Wedding & Home is more mass appeal whereas we are aimed as the magazine for modern brides'. We don't make an issue of etiquette and we are in touch with the reader." Indeed, Nicky Anderson, associate publisher at Condé Nast's Brides, says etiquette is a key part of her title: "Etiquette has to be correct," she says. "Our strength is that we are an authoritative, well established, respected brand. Brides know they can trust us on such matters." Wedding & Home editor Christine Hayes says the ideas' content of her title sets it apart from its competitors: "Wedding & Home offers more ideas and inspiration for modern brides than any other bridal magazine. We are the only magazine to run a 101 fashion ideas story each issue and our real life wedding section is also a major strength." There will soon be another major player in the wedding arena, when Cosmopolitan Bride launches on September 6. The NatMags title will be a brand extension of Cosmopolitan and is counting on the consumers' (and retailers) belief in the parent brand. Editor Catherine Westwood explains: "It seemed an obvious move. After all, 99% of Cosmo readers will get married at some point, so it will be a natural step for them to look to Cosmopolitan Bride for guidance. The approach will be similar to Cosmo. It will have a modern outlook and will be very glamorous, sexy and glossy. Cosmo Bride is aspirational but also realistic. It will be upbeat and lively rather than soft and pretty but will have wide appeal." One way in which Cosmopolitan bride will differentiate itself from other bridal titles will be its celebrity input. While the celebrity approach has proved itself over again in other sectors, it has not yet reached the bridal sector. But Westwood points out: "We're not trying to be OK! We won't go in for celebrity covers, but we will have celebrity interviews and show readers how to achieve the celebrity look or the celebrity wedding. "It will be a new and fresh magazine in an established market. It is from the same stable as You & Your Wedding and will be aiming at a slightly different girl, but we know girls tend to buy two bridal magazines at a time ­ we are hoping they will buy Cosmo Bride and You and Your Wedding, especially as they are published on alternate months." But where two's company, three's a crowd. NatMags' Bride & Groom magazine has been suspended despite a good performance in the sector, with the company preferring to concentrate on just two wedding titles. In terms of retail share, Comag reveals that independents sell 24% of the total bridal and wedding magazines ­ the same as WHS Retail. Tesco is the leading supermarket retailer in the bridal sector, selling 9% of all bridal titles and leading nearest multiple rival Asda by 5%. NatMags' Buchanan says he is pleased with the sales the company's bridal titles have achieved in supermarkets: "Supermarket sales have gone much better than we thought they would. If supermarkets don't stock bridal titles they are letting their customers down ­ they are also missing out as the cover price is good. Retailers should stock the market leaders and because consumers buy more than one at a time, stock at least two." Publishers such as Condé Nast and NatMags do provide PoS material for retailers, and most publishers advertise across titles. But advertising doesn't seem to be as key in this sector as in others. Buchanan explains: "Consumers will seek wedding magazines out ­ it is when they get to the shelves that you need to compete." And this is where covermounting comes in. The majority of the leading titles now covermount every issue, mostly in the form of small booklets glued to the front cover or banded-on supplements. IPC's Hayes says: "The British bridal magazine market is a promotion driven market. All the bridal titles including Wedding & Home try to covermount every issue with booklets, catalogues or editorial supplements." As far as seasonality goes, Comag's statistics show a fairly stable yearly market with the exception of November, when there is a sharp decrease in sales, followed by a peak in December and January. Brides' Anderson explains: "The market isn't as seasonal as it used to be ­ there are a lot of proposals in February on St Valentine's Day and brides will be planning their weddings throughout the year." Although three magazines lead in terms of circulation, other titles, such as Wedding Day from Crimson Publishing, which has a newsstand ABC of 25,687, should not be ignored ­ particularly with the tendency of consumers to purchase more than one title at a time. Similarly, Bliss for Brides from Inline Publishing and For the Bride from For the Bride Publishing carry estimated annual retail revenues of £252,200 and £235,200 respectively. Imported titles also sell well in this sector ­ perhaps because of the picture-led editorial ­ and carry high cover prices, with titles such Condé Nast's US version of Brides selling at £6.50 in the UK. Meanwhile, specialist titles such as IPC's annual Wedding Flowers ­ which had to be reprinted this year due to popular demand ­ can be thought of as wholly additional sales, while London & South East Wedding and Wedding Venues & Services cater to niche sectors. Retailers should note that London & South East Wedding will be given a new name and format next year and the brand will expand to include the North and Midlands. {{CTN }}