Monocle reports outstanding growth, invests and expands
ABC figures put circulation at all-time high, as global media brand announces advertising and editorial hires, new offices in Los Angeles and Bangkok, and more print products
MONOCLE is reporting another set of outstanding ABC figures today, with year-on-year sales of its flagship current-affairs and lifestyle magazine up by 5%. The total circulation of the magazine now stands at 84,268 – an all-time high. Newsstand sales are up 14%. Subscriptions have risen by 8%.
MONOCLE’s continuous growth stands in stark contrast to the wider magazine market, which remains in decline. The news comes as the leading edit on global affairs, business, culture and design, led by editor in chief Tyler Brûlé, invests in its brand and continues to expand.
In Q2 the global media brand is opening a new European HQ in Zürich, complete with expanded editorial and commercial team, radio studios, retail and café – expanding its base in continental Europe. In Q3 it will open a new office, shop and a café in Los Angeles.
Following an innovative partnership with the Thai property group Sansiri, sealed in October 2017, MONOCLE continues to build its presence in Asia, with a new editorial outpost in Bangkok and plans for MONOCLE-branded residential properties in Thailand and beyond.
MONOCLE has appointed two new advertising staff for Zürich: Ezra Alvarez, formerly of Conde Nast, has been made sales director for North America; and MONOCLE is in the process of making several senior editorial appointments – further boosting an editorial network that is already spanning the globe with bureaux and more than 30 correspondents.
Following the success of last year’s seasonal printed newspapers – The Summer Weekly and The Winter Weekly – MONOCLE is investing in a series of printed newspapers this year, including The Spring Weekly and a paper for the Salone del Mobile Milano Fair.
MONOCLE is further adding a new Drinking & Dining magazine, published at the beginning of May, to its line-up of annuals. The brand’s series of travel books will welcome new guides to Beirut, Mexico City, Barcelona and Seoul in 2018.
Tyler Brûlé, MONOCLE’s editor in chief and chairman, said:
“Today’s ABC figures are a wonderful confirmation of MONOCLE’s way of doing things. We have always believed in making our own rules and, with more and more people joining the global family of MONOCLE readers, we are better placed than ever to play with unconventional ideas, invest in new projects and expand where we are most excited to be.”
Anders Braso, MONOCLE’s publisher, said:
“MONOCLE’s expansion comes with a significant investment, both in people and in products. With additions to our advertising and news teams around the world and a whole roster of new products in the pipeline, MONOCLE is ready to push print to new heights this year.”
On 26 February MONOCLE brings a prominent line-up of global media players to London for its second annual Media Summit, a buoyant, optimistic event on the future of the sector: monocle.com/events/the-monocle-media-summit-2018/
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