Monthly Archive for August, 2010

With Tesco about to enter the consumer magazine market, I’m thinking Waitrose may not be far behind.

Take these offerings in print from a recent visit to the upmarket supermarket chain. Waitrose Kitchen, now up to issue two, doing what I thought Waitrose Food Illustrated was supposed to do. Then a tabloid newspaper called Waitrose Weekend, with the future king on the front. Most people would happily pay £3 for Waitrose Kitchen, it’s as good as any commercial food mag out there, but it’s only a quid – and free to John Lewis card holders!

I guess the winners are companies like ours – CMYK – who are happy to publish magazines on other people’s behalf if the price is right. John Brown do all the Waitrose titles, having successfully sold their ailing Food Illustrated title to them some years back. Looks like a newly founded company Catmags Communications will be producing the magazines for Tesco. Not sure why the supermarkets don’t do what Jamie Oliver did, and start their own publishing company. Only a matter of time I guess.