Dharmash Mistry, managing director of Emap Consumer Media, attributed the success to changes made by former FHM editor Anthony Noguera. Mistry said Arena is now more "stylish, sexy and intelligent" than its rivals.
Mainstream men's titles continued to find the market tough, but less so than previously. Front, published by Highbury Lifestyle, plummeted 27.5% on last year and 6.5% in the period to 103,203. Highbury Lifestyle commercial director Alun Williams said the figure reflected the fact that a year ago Front's ABC included a lot of bulk sales.
FHM comfortably retained its market-leading position, selling 601,166 copies, despite slipping 3.1% year on year.
Loaded seems to be stabilising its recent losses. Although year on year it was down 9.3%, period on period it showed a 0.4% increase to 263,107.
IPC Ignite managing director Tim Brooks attributed this to changes made by editor Martin Daubney, including new writers and an improvement in quality of ideas.
As a whole, the men's magazine sector showed uncharacteristic buoyancy, with sales up 5.6% over the last period.
The jury remains out on whether new weekly men's titles Nuts and Zoo Weekly will cannibalise sales of the monthlies or grow the market as hoped.
With Nuts due to make its ABC debut in the next set of figures, the picture will become clearer.
TOP TEN MEN'S LIFESTYLE
Magazine End Dec 2003 End Dec 2002 % change
1 FHM 601,166 620,226 -3.1
2 Loaded 263,107 290,214 -9.3
3 Maxim 243,341 250,119 -2.7
4 GQ 124,022 123,502 0.4
5 Wallpaper 107,814 110,811 -2.7
6 Front 103,203 142,287 -27.5
7 Bizarre 95,095 105,620 -10.0
8 Esquire 70,164 68,075 3.1
9 Stuff 65,016 60,117 8.1
10 Men's Fitness 60,017 50,943 17.8
.jpg)
.jpg)