Staff redundant, Women’s and Men’s Health to close

Paragon Media has made 12 staff redundant as it attempts to shut down its print operations of Women’s Health and Men’s Health magazines.

Men’s Health and Women’s Health magazines will close their print products and wind down the websites.

Paragon Media has made 12 staff redundant as it attempts to shut down its print operations of Women’s Health and Men’s Health magazines.

The publisher of several trade magazines will also wind down the digital operations of both titles online over the next several months, with an expectation their online presence will cease before the end of the year.

It’s understood the announcement came as a shock this morning to staff who were called into an unplanned meeting where they were delivered the news.

The Australian has confirmed the reason for the shutdown was part personal reasons and part commercial reasons.

Staff have not been given an official notice other than the verbal briefing early on Monday and are awaiting emails in the afternoon. The Australian can confirm laid-off staff will continue working for two further weeks and are set to receive a full redundancy package.

Its understood the digital operations will be used to honour any ongoing work commitments the titles may have.

This is not the first time the magazines have been shutdown, with Bauer Media Australia permanently shutting down both titles alongside Harper’s BAZAAR, ELLE, InStyle, Good Health, NW and OK! in July, 2020.

Less than six months later, Paragon Media announced it would revive both publications, with chief executive Ian Brooks telling The Australian that “they’re just fantastically strong brands, and we’re focusing on the brand rather than just the print side”.

“Women’s Health and Men’s Health are trusted brands, reaching over 3 million Australians through their various touchpoints, with a high level of engagement and loyalty. They are leaders in the health, wellness and lifestyle fields, and we are positioned to expand on their previous offerings – podcasting, creative visual partnerships, events and virtual immersions – in new and exciting ways,” he said at the time.

“Today’s audiences are intuitive, accessible by many mediums, living in the moment and sharing their experiences with their networks. Our strengths are capturing and enticing these consumers on mass, aligning relevance, demand and desire. The Health brands are set up to excel in creating targeted, imaginative, unforgettable content and events with unparalleled market knowledge.”

The Australian has contacted Paragon Media and understands the business will put out an official statement on Tuesday.