Teen mag Sugar to close as readers shift to digital media
Hachette Filipacchi, the publishing house behind titles such as Elle, Red, Psychologies and Digital Spy, has confirmed that it is to cease publishing teen magazine Sugar due to its readers’ appetite for free content.
The publisher will instead focus its efforts on the Sugarscape online brand, and has entered into consultation with editorial and advertising staff working on the title with the hope of redeploying them on other titles to avoid redundancies.
As yet it is unknown how many staff will be affected by the closure.
A company statement from Hachette Filipacchi said the closure of the magazine was down to a "fundamental shift in the nature of the teen publishing marketplace".
It continued: "Over the past decade the teen magazine market has declined by 75 per cent as teens spend their media time on mobile and web platforms and increasingly expect to receive content for free."
Suagar was one of the first glossy magazines specifically for teenage girls, with the 16-year old title paving the way for similar titles such as Bliss, Mizz and Cosmo Girl.
Publisher Rita Lewis said of the closure: "While, as publishers, we recognise reluctantly that Sugar magazine is no longer a viable business, we are pleased to be able to continue to invest in Sugarscape.com, which delivers a healthy return, underpinning our decision to focus on the digital platform."
The Sugarscape website reportedly attracts 430,000 users per month, while the most recent ABC figures showed the print edition to average a monthly sale of 113,320.
The closure announcement comes as Hachette’s French owner Lagardère completes the sale of its magazine business to Hearst Corporation, owner of UK publisher The National Magazine Company.