±±¾©Èü³µpk10

Maxim seems to have defied the much-reported death of the lads’

magazine in the latest set of consumer ABCs due out this week. The

Dennis Publishing title is expected to post a year-on-year increase of

between 10 and 15 per cent, reversing a slight decline in February’s

figures and increasing the pressure on its rival Loaded.

It coincides with a Maxim redesign which aims to give the title a more

sophisticated edge and move it closer to FHM, the market leader.

Maxim is a rare success story in a field that is expected to see slight

declines for GQ, Loaded and Arena and a more significant drop for

Sky.

Men’s Health is believed to have turned a 17.5 per cent decline in

February into a year-on-year increase.

However, other titles aiming to distance themselves from the scantily

clad covergirl approach seem to have fared particularly poorly. Esquire

is predicted to drop 20 per cent year on year to a figure of around

70,000.

The 20 per cent decline expected for Loaded’s mature sibling title

Later, which launched last year, raises doubts about its long-term

viability.

Women’s glossies are set to prove robust by comparison, despite the

launch of titles such as IPC’s Nova. Elle and Vogue are expected to

record slight increases, while the heavily covermounted Woman’s Journal

boasts another 20 per cent year-on-year rise. However, declines for Red

and She will offer encouragement to the BBC launch Eve as it attempts to

penetrate their 30-plus audience.

Elsewhere, TV Choice is expected to debut with an ABC of more than

700,000, hitting figures throughout the rest of the TV listings market.

OK! has increased its lead over Hello! and IPC’s Now with another rise

of around 12 per cent. Woman and Woman’s Own are expected to halt their

year-on-year decline of six months ago, but this will not prevent a

slump among women’s weeklies as a whole.