Friday, July 06, 2012
Auto Trader to cease printing
The publisher of vehicle sales title Auto Trader has announced the magazine will cease to be available in a print format within the next 12 to 18 months.
A combination of debt restructuring costs and declining print business meant Trader Media Group, jointly owned by Apax and the Guardian Media Group, saw its pre-tax profit wither from £83.5m to £22.3m in the financial year 2011/12, despite increasing its revenue from £254.4m to £257.2m during the period.
Circulation of the physical magazine has slipped to 87,000 copies a week with advertising revenue dropping with it. However, the online magazine and associated titles continue to grow in popularity, including an increase in the number of readers accessing it on mobile phones from 1.1m in March 2011 to 2.3m in March 2012.
Trader Media Group chief executive John King said the decision on print would be finalised later this year, with the last issue being published between July 2013 and January 2014.
DATED: 06.07.12
FEED: MF
