Sales of Bauer Weeklies Rebound
Unit sales of In Touch and Life & Style, both of which raised their cover prices by 50% to $2.99, have rebounded from their initial, 25%-plus drop. Before the price increase, newsstand unit sales of In Touch were 1.3 million, and those of its sister pub almost three quarters of a million. TNSC reviewed POS sales data for In Touch in a sample of major supermarket chains and found that the fifth issue after the price hike was down from pre-price-hike issues by a single percentage point. John Harrington concludes the news item, writing, “It is too early for a definitive judgment of Bauer’s decision [to increase cover prices], but there are signs that newsstand’s reputation of being price-increase friendly is still intact. That news will be welcomed by everyone in the magazine distribution channel, even Bauer’s competitors, and especially by wholesalers, who not only will see more revenue, but keep a bigger share of it, since Bauer’s price hikes were, reportedly, accompanied by improved discounts.” The New Single Copy Subscription required; unavailable online. (Dec. 10, 2007)
Tags: Bauer Publications, cover price increase, In Touch, John Harrington, Life & Style, wholesale discounts