Bauer Media Group will snap up five titles from APN, as the New Zealand arm of the trans-Tasman brand continues to consolidate its print portfolio and refocus its business on ‘growth assets’.
- Paul Dykzeul, CEO, Bauer Media NZ
The announcement comes hot on the heels of APN’s recent decision to sell off its profitable Outdoor media division in Australia to Quadrant PE, further cutting the media giant’s printing footprint in favour of its digital properties. Contingent on clearance from the New Zealand Commerce Commission, the purchase will bolster Bauer Media’s existing magazine portfolio in New Zealand, with over 30 titles already in the market.
Paul Dykzeul, CEO of Bauer in New Zealand, said, “It is absolutely a vote of confidence in our business and the future. We look forward to welcoming these talented teams and iconic media brands into the Bauer Media Group as we combine the best of our resources and expertise.”
Bauer will pick up New Zealand Women’s Weekly, The Listener, Simply You, Simply You Living and Crème in the deal. A number of jobs are expected to be lost in the transition, as Dykzeul has confirmed that Bauer will not be duplicating roles, although numbers have not yet emerged.
Martin Simons, chief executive, APN New Zealand Media, remains confident, however, that staff and products affected by the sale will be well developed by Bauer Media.
“Bauer is an international company with magazines at the heart of its business. We’re confident that it will integrate them well into their suite of titles,” he said.
Bauer Media currently holds a range of iconic titles in the New Zealand market, including Woman's Day, North & South, Next, Metro, CLEO and Fashion Quarterly. Simons confirmed to Print21 that the primary motivation for the move was to focus the business on what it sees as its key growth assets, notably a significant digital newspaper property it is keen to develop.
“We are focussing on building the database side of our business, developing stronger one-to-one relationships and transactional opportunities for advertisers. Magazines are a good business, but we want to focus on the digital side," said Simons.
For the time being, APN NZ Media will retain its New Idea, That’s Life and Girlfriend titles, which it has published under licence from Pacific Magazines Group Australia since 2010. Given this latest step away from print, however, it remains to be seen how long APN intends to keep them in its stable.