Egmont Magazines, the children’s magazine division of Egmont UK, enjoyed a strong set of ABC results for the period January – June 2013, with own brand title: Toxic leading the circulation increases.
– Toxic magazine records growth of 22.1% year-on-year and 11.7% period-on-period on the back of digital innovation
– girls portfolio total circulation increases 32.6% year-on-year and 2.8% period-on-period
– Hello Kitty and Monster High both sustain growth following 2012launches
The strength of Egmont’s own brand magazines was demonstrated by continued growth for Toxic, which remains the UK’s number one tween boy’s magazine. The title reported its fourth consecutive period of growth, with a 22.1% growth yoy and 11.7% growth pop.
Following its first interactive issue in partnership with ‘Aurasma’ last year, as well as the launch of the bespoke website, Toxic announced its first two apps in June. Extending the Toxic brand to entertainment apps, Bug Blatter and Meerkat Me both offered readers the chance to enjoy fun games on the iPad and iPhone, continuing the title’s investment in digital developments. The magazine has also continued to partner with some of the leading third party brands.
Go Girl, Egmont’s own brand title for pre-teen girls, also reported consecutive periods of growth, with circulation increases of 6.6% yoy and 9.5% pop. This, along with the success of Toxic, demonstrates the success and expertise of Egmont’s own brand magazines and their ongoing appeal to UK consumers.
The growth of the Girls Portfolio proves that Egmont remains the leading expert in the primary girls magazine portfolio, with circulation increasing 32.6% yoy and 2.8% pop. Within the portfolio, following their launch last year, both Monster High and Hello Kitty have sustained their growth, with 14.3% and 12.2% pop increases respectively.
In a further development of the brand, Monster High launched its first app last month. Based on content from the magazine, the app features interactive stories, plus a design section for personalised Monster High creations. Readers can earn pins which update their toolbox with graphics and stickers for use in the design section and fans can visit the Monster Store in the app for additional stories, webisodes, pins and other features.
The Thomas group, including Thomas Express and Thomas & Friends, also performed well, with a 6.1% pop circulation increase. The strength of the Thomas brand is clear, with it remaining one of only two pre-school brands in a position to publish two magazines.
Egmont’s investment in new titles remains strong, with the Disney Portfolio home to new launch Disney Stars, which went on sale last month.
Debbie Cook, Director of Magazines, Egmont Publishing Group said:
“We’re really proud of this set of ABC results for Egmont’s magazine portfolio and in particular it’s great to see our own brand titles continue to thrive in such a tough market. It’s brilliant that our continued investment in digital extensions to our magazines, as well as in new launches, has yielded success, and both of these areas will remain a priority for us. These results prove that we remain the leading experts in both the pre-tween boys and girls markets, which is something we really value. By continuing to ensure we remain at the forefront of the children’s magazine sector and in touch with our readers, we are able to work with advertisers to develop unique opportunities to reach their target audience via ourbrands.”
For further information please contact: Sarah Mines or Eleanor Crossman, Braben, 020 7025 8021 or at [email protected]
About Egmont Publishing
In the UK, Egmont Publishing is the leading specialist children’s publisher for babies to teens, inspiring children to read through more than 25 million award-winning books, magazines, ebooks and apps sold each year. We’re proud to be home to many of the world’s favourite stories and best-loved authors, illustrators and characters such as Michael Morpurgo, Andy Stanton, Enid Blyton, Julia Donaldson, Lemony Snicket, Michael Grant (Gone series and BZRK), Winnie-the-Pooh, Tintin, Mr. Men, Thomas & Friends, Disney Princess, Ben 10, Fireman Sam, Angry Birds, Minecraft and Star Wars.
Egmont Publishing is part of Egmont, a leading Danish media group, with activities in 30 countries and 6,600 employees. Our media world includes Nordisk Film, TV2 in Norway, cinemas, book publishers, educational publishers and PlayStation, as well as a number of partly owned film companies, including Zentropa.
Egmont is a commercial foundation that generates revenue amounting to EUR 1.6 billion. Every year we donate over EUR 10 million to help improve the lives of children and young people.