Executive Summary

The UK market for men's magazines is a relatively young one, which has developed in the last 10 years. Traditionally, men have been served by magazines on their specific interests, such as sport, music and cars, as well as pornography. With the launch of titles such as FHM and Arena, the mid-1980s saw the advent of a new breed of magazine for men, based on the style of the women's glossy titles, but written from the male perspective. Since then, all the leading magazine publishers have introduced similar titles and intense competition is serving to ensure continued growth and development.

The market includes consumer magazines written primarily for men. Lifestyle titles, such as GQ and Esquire, form the backbone of the market, but special interest magazines promoted on a lifestyle platform, like Select, Max Power and Men's Health are also included. Traditional hobby and interest magazines are mentioned in context, but not included in the data. The majority of men's titles are published monthly.

The total market was worth an estimated £82m in 1995, with 69.8% of this accounted for by sales revenue. However, a high proportion of sales came from the erotic market. In the mainstream market, advertising revenue was higher than sales revenue. The leading publisher of men's magazines is EMAP, which owns five of the top-selling titles. With the exception of the pornographic publishers, most other publishing houses own just one men's title. These include IPC, The National Magazine Company and Condé Nast, the other leading publishers of consumer magazines.

The vast majority of men's magazines are sold via newsagents but, in line with the trend in other magazines markets, an increasing number are being sold by supermarkets, which now account for an estimated 9% of all magazine sales, or via subscription.

Main media advertising expenditure for the purpose of promoting the magazines themselves, increased by 6.6% between 1994 and 1995, to stand at £2.1m. This was equivalent to 2.6% of market value and significantly lower than the £24.8m revenue gained from advertising within the magazines.

The market looks set for continued healthy growth into the 21st century. Having emerged triumphant from the recession, through which the market continued to develop, it is now in a position to benefit from its high profile and the changing attitudes of men towards magazines. Changes in the pattern of distribution are creating more buying opportunities and helping to guarantee future sales. Increased competition will serve to maintain and improve standards.

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