Woman’s Day, New Idea, Women’s Weekly sold off by Bauer
Magazines read by generations of Australian women - New Idea and Woman’s Day - could be on the chopping block after their publisher sold them off to another business.
Confidential
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German publisher Bauer Media has offloaded its Australian magazine business, including titles Woman’s Day, New Idea and The Australian Women’s Weekly.
Mercury Capital struck a deal with the Hamburg-based family publishing giant late Tuesday night, acquiring all of Bauer Media Australia’s print and digital assets and including all brands recently taken on as part of Bauer’s acquisition of Pacific Magazines and Bauer’s New Zealand mastheads.
“Bauer Media remains committed to magazine publishing. This decision supports our strategy to invest in our market leading brands where we believe we are best placed to do so,” Bauer chief operating officer Veit Dengler said in a statement.
“We have been proud to be the custodian of these iconic brands in Australia. I would like to thank our talented teams for their commitment and the contribution they have made to Bauer Media. I wish them well for the future.”
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Bauer bought the business from the Nine Entertainment Co in 2012 for $525 million.
Bauer said the statement is subject to relevant regulatory approvals in Australia with the deal expected to be completed by the end of July.
The deal includes all of Bauer Media’s titles, covering Women’s Entertainment & Lifestyle; Fashion, Beauty & Health; Homes; Food; Motoring & Trader lifestyle categories.
“This signals an exciting new chapter for the business. With new ownership and our bolstered portfolio, we have unparalleled opportunities to connect with more Australians than ever before and continue our strategy of digital growth and innovation,” Bauer Media ANZ chief executive Brendon Hill said.
“We have increased flexibility to diversify revenue streams and grow and innovate across our multi-platform offerings. Additionally, we are well placed to invest in the key drivers of future success – high-quality content and digital development which is good for us, our audiences, clients and the Australian industry as a whole.”
Hills said Bauers portfolio of 43 brands reached six in 10 Australian women each month with a print readership of 6.8 million per year.
“Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, we have seen significant growth in subscriptions and digital audiences across our food, home, youth and fashion brands, demonstrating that Australians still love and read our brands,” he said. “We have seen great vision, success and growth under Bauer Media Group ownership and now look forward to working alongside Mercury Capital to build on this growth under a new brand in the future.”
Here is a list of some of the key Bauer Media Australia titles: Better Homes and Gardens; The Australian Women’s Weekly; Woman’s Day; New Idea; Take5; That’s Life!; TV Week; Who; NW; OK!; Empire; Gourmet Traveller; marie claire; Elle Australia; Harper’s Bazaar; InStyle Australia; Girlfriend; Australian House & Garden; Australian Home Beautiful; Country Style; Inside Out; Belle; Good Health; Australian Women’s Health; Australian Men’s Health; 4X4 Australia; Street Machine; Wheels; and Practical Parenting
Originally published as Woman’s Day, New Idea, Women’s Weekly sold off by Bauer