Private Eye posts 18-year-high for magazine sales in latest ABCs

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Private Eye recorded its highest sales figures in 18 years in the last six months of 2009, according to the latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC).

From July to December 2009, the magazine sold an average of 210,218 copies per issue - a year-on-year increase of 6,984 for the same period in 2008.

The title remained strong in its single copy subscription sales, ranking 14th in the top 100 magazines audited, with 94,756 copies on average per issue distributed in this way.

In terms of net circulation the title came 79th in the top magazines audited, but beat others in its sector, where Dennis Publishing's The Week was its nearest competitor recording 169,690 average monthly copies for the period.

Highlights from the latest ABC magazine circulation figures (July-December 2009):

Women's and lifestyle magazines

Titles in this sector posted a total average circulation per issue of 6,580,758 - a 4.7 per cent year-on-year increase.

Glamour dominated in the Conde Nast stable posting a total of 515,281 average copies per issue for the period, but this was a year-on-year drop for the title of 5.9 per cent.

Men's lifestyle

Titles in this sector posted a total average circulation per issue of 2,312,709 - a 4.4 per cent decrease year-on-year.

Bauer's Zoo, IPC Media's Nuts and Dennis Publishing's Bizarre saw the biggest drops in average circulation over the period, falling 29.2 per cent, 29.9 per cent and 24.4 per cent respectively.

In its first ABC figures since launching, Wired UK posted an average circulation of 48,275 per issue for the period, which the publisher says is "on track" to meet its target of 50,000 by its first year anniversary in May 2010.

Magazine groups

Of the larger magazine publishers - NatMags, IPC Media, H Bauer, Future, Conde Nast, BBC Worldwide and Bauer Consumer - only NatMags posted a year-on-year increase in net circulation/distribution for the period.

NatMags average circulation per issue from July to December 2009 was 3,190,936 (up 1.3 per cent year-on-year). IPC Media posted a 6.4 per cent fall; H Bauer's average dropped by 4.8 per cent year-on-year; Future was down 7.0 per cent; Conde Nast by 2.1 per cent; Bauer Consumer by 5.2 per cent; and BBC Worldwide posted a slight drop to 3,095,278 of 1.3 per cent.