Hearst sells Marie Claire US to Future Media

Marie Claire Magazine US has been acquired by London-based Future Media, Plc.

Up until now, the publishing rights for the online and print edition of Marie Claire US were divided between Marie Claire Group International and international publishing group Hearst Magazines, via a joint venture.

Future Media will now own 100 percent of the joint venture responsible for the publication of the US magazine. Marie Claire US will be added to the UK media group’s growing magazine portfolio over the next five years, which includes its UK counterpart, Marie Claire UK.

Hearst Magazines is currently one of the main publishing houses internationally. It owns well-known publications such as Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire, and Men’s Health. The publishing group created the Marie Claire US brand in collaboration with Marie Claire Album, its French joint venture partners, president Debi Chirichella stated in the release. Chirichella wrote a letter to the staff of the publishing group, seen by WWD, stating that its “focus has always been on strategic long-term growth for the brand” through its 27-year partnership with Marie Claire Album. However, she adds: “as the industry continues to evolve, the partners believe that the brand would be better served by a single owner, rather than the current 50/50 joint venture structure.”

Future’s expansion to focus on US and Canadian market

The acquisition is in line with Future Media’s global expansion plans, for which it is looking to target the American and Canadian lifestyle market in particular. Its strategy consists of diversifying and expanding the number of markets it’s present in, as well as its audiences on a global scale. Marie Claire US is visited by 17.5 million people per month and Future Media “is delighted that we are adding it to our already strong Women’s Lifestyle Vertical,” said Zillah Byng-Thorne, CEO of Future Media.

Future Media currently publishes Women’s Lifestyle brands Marie Claire UK, Women&Home, GoodToKnow and its most recent launch MyImperfectLife.com. Now that it has acquired Marie Claire US, it expects its global reach to increase to 30 million people per month.

“We are thrilled with this new co-operation with Future,” said Jean de Boisdeffre, Director of International Development at Marie Claire International. “We strongly believe that this agreement will create a new, and even more successful era for the Marie Claire brand in the US and Canadian markets. We are sure this will be an exceptional fit between our Brand and the Future Group’s expertise, that will create opportunities to leverage and expand Marie Claire into new and exciting business territories.”