Publishing NewsControversial Time, Newsweek Covers Driving Big Sales Lifts For example, unit sales for Time’s issue featuring “attachment parenting” breastfeeding cover indexing 45.7% above magazine’s 13-week/issue average units. Unit sales for Newsweek’s issue featuring “The First Gay President” (Obama with halo) indexing 59.1% above its 13-week/issue average units.
Simon & Schuster Settles E-Book Suit with State AGs
Federal judge overseeing the three different antitrust complaints that were brought against Apple and five publishers granted a motion Tuesday to dismiss Simon & Schuster from the complaint filed by numerous states’ attorneys general. Terms of settlement not provided in the court documents. S&S declined to comment. HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group had already settled with AGs, and all three last month settled with Dept. of Justice. Separately, a group of consumers is seeking to bring a class-action suit.
RDA Asks Bondholders to Take a Cut; Mulls More Divestments
Reader’s Digest Association giving bondholders till June 14 to decide whether to accept a “take-it-or-leave it” offer on senior secured notes due in 2017, which would represent a 5% cut. RDA also exploring sale of its lifestyle and entertainment direct business (which sells products including music CDs, exercise equipment), and looking at possible international divestments.
NY Post
Upgraded Adobe Suite Enables Easier, More Efficient Cross-Platform Publishing
New features in upgraded Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, aimed at larger publishers with multiple brands, include ability to publish directly to smartphones; generally easier, more cost-efficient conversions for digital platforms. Meredith announced it will use Suite to create, distribute digital editions of core brands. Wenner’s new US Weekly iPad app also using the platform. NY Post: In latest development, The New Yorker will be the first Conde Nast title to go on Adobe’s new software and use to launch a smartphone app (launch date not determined).
Publishing Executive (capabilities)
GottaBeMobile (capabilities) NY Post (New Yorker-same link as above) Eating Well Wins James Beard Journalism Award
Meredith’s Eating Well has been selected winner of the prestigious James Beard Foundation Journalism Award. Honored for “The Soup of Life,” an article by Anna Thomas in the Sept/Oct 2011 issue on how one pot of green soup ended up changing her life. Piece won in the Cooking, Recipes or Instruction category. Two other Eating Well articles were named finalists.
USPS to Begin Consolidation
The Postal Service announced that it will begin implementing its modified consolidation plan this summer, transferring mail-processing operations from smaller to larger facilities. In first phase, up to 140 locations will be closed. 48 to close by August. Consolidations on hold during peak Sept.-Dec. mailing season, resuming early 2013; remaining 90 or so in first phase to close by Feb. 2013. 5K employees to receive notifications next week re summer closures. Second phase, with 89 more closings, expected to begin Feb. 2014. First phase to cut workforce by 13K, save $1.2B annually. Total consolidation plan, when completed end of 2014, to cut up to 28K employees, save $2.1B annually. USPS also shrinking geographic reach of overnight first class delivery to local areas. Through 2013, about 80% of first class will still be delivered overnight; standard to be “further tightened” in 2014. Separately, DeadTree clarifies the not-so-simple question: Is the Postal Service broke?
Paywall Resistance Softens, When the Content’s Right
Survey of U.S. digital media professionals by DigiCareers shows 52% saying they immediately leave a site after encountering a paywall, but 42% saying they took time to research pricing and make a purchase decision. 36% said they had purchased a digital magazine; 47% paid for movies, 35% for music. More stats on attitudes, behaviors, including perceptions of ads behind paywalls, detailed. Separate article summarizes PulsePoint survey indicating that publishers, marketers, agencies still more focused on digital basics than sophisticated multichannel, multiscreen user interfacing capabilities.
eMarketer (paywalls)
OTHER NEWS OF NOTE:
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Retail NewsWal-Mart Has Strong First Quarter
Total sales +8.6%, to $112.27. U.S. same-store sales +2.6%, with 1%-3% gain projected for Q2. Q1 EPS $1.09 vs. 98 cents year-ago; exceeded W-M’s forecast and analysts’ expected $1.04. Shares have recovered all of the 8.2% drop following April 21 news of Mexican bribery allegations, and shares rose 5% after Q1 report. W-M confirmed that DOJ, SEC and Mexican government agencies are investigating. Said currently foresees no material impact on its business from the probes, but ”can provide no assurance that these matters will not be material to its business in the future.” Separately, W-M said it plans to install solar panels on more than half of its roughly 50 Massachusetts stores.
Reuters (Q1)
Supermarket News (solar panels)
Spartan’s Sales +4% for Year
Spartan Stores’ sales for the fiscal ended March 31 rose 4%, to $2.6B. Adjusted earnings +5.2%, to $109.7M. Q4 sales +7.6% to $614.8M, adjusted earnings +5.2% to $109.7M.
Dollar Tree Shares Fall on Tempered Forecast
Q1 sales +11.5% to $1.6B, comp sales +5.6%, net earnings +6.7% to $116M. However, shares were trading down after DT said higher fuel costs would keep current-quarter earnings at the low end of its estimates. DT said food was among its top sales categories, and that food coolers continued to drive store traffic gains.
New Weis Store to Seek LEED
Folger, Pa. store will be first Weis store built to meet LEED cert standards.
Safeway News: New Chef; PR Problems; ‘Just for U’ Rolls Out in Portland
David Histed has won the competition to become Safeway’s new chef. Histed was formerly a chef at Midwest’s Big Bowl Chinese/Thai restaurant chain. Separately, Slate reports that two developments are generating criticism for Safeway regarding women’s issues: Chain’s decision to suspend without pay a male employee who reportedly intervened after seeing a pregnant customer abused by her boyfriend; and a joke by SVP, general counsel Robert Gordon before the start of Safeway’s annual shareholder meeting that some deem offensive to Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, women in general. In addition, Oregon Live reports that Safeway has launched its new ‘Just for U’ transaction-driven savings program in the Portland market.
Supermarket News (new chef)
Save-A-Lot Opens in Atlantic City
Store opened May 17 is first full-servie supermarket within a 21-mile radius of the city. The hard-discount, limited-assortment retailer operates 11 stores in New Jersey, 1,300+ stores total in 39 states.
Studies Confirm Cost-Conscious Shopping Behaviors
MaxPoint Interactive research report shows average monthly spend on groceries among general population rose from $250.94 in Aug 2007 to $277 in Aug. 2011. Among mothers, rose from $311.95 to $341.14. Key cost-saving behaviors include shopping closer to home/shopping multiple stores; greater use of coupons and leveraging sales; and list-making for shopping. Three in four say more likely to try new product if have a coupon for it. More than half don’t specify brands on their lists; instead use product categories and choose brands in-store based on price, coupons, promotions. Two in five purchasing more store brands or generics. One in four have cut back on prime cuts of meat and seafood, in addition to three in 10 cutting back on bakery items, candy, desserts and magazines/books/DVDs over the past year. Separately, consumer survey by Empathica finds many planning to cut spending across every discretionary category, while maintaining spending on essentials such as gas, groceries, pharmaceuticals. 60% feel their financial situations are more difficult than six months ago, although one-third expect improvement going forward.
USDA: Healthier Food Can Cost Less
New USDA study shows most fruits, vegetables, grains/beans and dairy foods cost less than most meats and foods high in fat, sugar and salt. USDA measured costs by weight/portion size, rather than by price-per-calorie, used by previous studies. Food that appears cheap on a per-calorie basis but provides few nutrients may actually be more expensive for consumers from a nutritional economy perspective, “whereas food with a higher retail price that provides large amounts of nutrients [and may be more satiating] may actually be quite cheap,” the report states.
Major B&N Investor to Distribute Shares
In SEC filing, Yucaipa Cos. (controlled by Ron Burkle), which owns 19% of B&N’s shares (second only to B&N chairman Len Riggio), disclosed that two funds under its control will distribute shares of the stock they own in B&N. No details as to number of shares or to whom they’ll be distributed. B&N’s stock price fell 8.8% on the news, as other B&N investors appeared to interpret it as a sign that Burkle is losing confidence in B&N.
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Archive for the ‘Dailies’ Category
May 18, 2012
Posted in Dailies 
Tags: best magazine covers, book publishing news, books digital trends U.S., Conde Nast magazines, consumer price sensitivity, consumer spending trends, consumer trends, economic trends, economy, food prices, gas prices effects on spending, grocery retailer strategies, magazine brand extensions, magazine covers, Magazine digital trends, magazine newsstand marketing, magazine newsstand trends, magazine retail trends, magazine single-copy sales, magazine strategies, mass retailer trends, Meredith magazines, Time Inc., U.S. consumer trends, U.S. economy, Wenner Media 
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