Liz Kershaw, executive publishing director of women's interest group at NatMags, whose titles include Country Living and House Beautiful, said: "The entire market is pretty strong, as people seek to return to natural rhythms of life and become more self-sufficient."
She added that Country Living, which is now 75,000 active sales ahead of its nearest rival, has posted its seventh consecutive year-on-year increase and its highest ABC in its history.
Sharing Kershaw's enthusiasm is Jackie Newcombe, managing director, IPC Southbank. Five of the six homes magazines in her stable have posted ABC results for this period, all demonstrating increases.
"Advertisers are still spending in this sector," she said. "Buyers of our portfolio are upmarket brands, targeting consumers with money who are still spending. Advertisers such as fabrics and furniture brands are performing well - we have increased advertising share over the past year."
Also faring well is Essential's Your Home, which posted its third consecutive news-stand sales increase - a year-on-year rise of 3.8%.
In the gardening sector, BBC Gardeners' World posted its fourth consecutive year-on-year increase and a period-on-period rise of 27.2%, retaining its market-leading position. According to publisher Dominic Murray, this demonstrates "the continued loyalty of our readers and the strength of trust in the brand".
However, BBC Magazines' Good Homes suffered an 11% decrease year on year, which publishing director Alfie Lewis called a "predictable hit" as the credit crunch hits disposable incomes.
And Bauer Media's Garden News and Garden Answers posted double-digit year-on-year drops of 17.7% and 23.3% respectively.
