Bauer Media announces immediate closure of Shop Til You Drop magazine
Bauer Media will cease publishing its quarterly fashion title Shop Til You Drop, with the current autumn magazine to be its last issue.
The news comes after a spate of recent magazine closures and sell-offs for the publisher, with Rugby League Week axed earlier this month, Dolly’s print edition wrapping up late last year and five adventure titles including Caravan World sold to a group of investors in October after CEO Nick Chan announced the publisher would be focusing on five key consumer and customer segments.
Shop Til You Drop moved to a quarterly print cycle in October 2014, but as recently as February last year Bauer Media said it had no plans to close the title, despite axing its website presence in December 2015 with Shop’s website traffic being redirected to the Cosmo website.
I had no idea this was still going! I heard Elle under review (seriously, who is reading these magazines?)
I am still missing the Shop til You Drop mag. It offered rural ladies a look at whats coming in and in fashion. If we can’t just walk into a shop to see the latest and whats in fashion, we relied on this mag. It was also showcasing some affordable fashion and where to get it. I often rang to order things because of what was in the mag. Sad for us rural women who still like to look nice . I do by In Style too, but more expensive options and really do many ladies actually wear what they put together on some of those pages ?? some odd mismatches that you never see out and about . I look online too, but to have a mag seemed to be a therapeutic option, take it to the beach or while waiting for someone or read on the bus. I love online and do shop online and even with the Shop til u drop things, still made me go online looking at the various websites that i wouldn’t have if i hadn’t had that mag to prompt me . Was the last issue the Summer 2017 issue as pictured above here. I wonder if the mags will be a collectors item eventually. Might hang to mine in case
As a Gen X person who still buys print magazines, I’m disappointed to see the closure of Shop Til You Drop, but I can’t say I’m surprised. Australian magazines have been in trouble ever since Bauer Media came onto the scene. No understanding of Australian consumers or their habits, a half-hearted and lacklustre digital presence, revolving door management, firing of long-term magazine staff and micro-managing owners. They’d probably like to blame it on the rise of social media and the decline of print, but the Bauer Group are firmly to blame. STYD was the most successful magazine in Australia and Bauer destroyed it. It wouldn’t be so bad if they ceased the print version and kept the digital one, but they haven’t. I predict they will continue to destroy other titles. Hopefully, they will come to their senses and sell them to companies that know what they’re doing before all the magazines are gone for good.
Totally agree with Sophie. Am not a Gen X but STYD had appeal across age groups. I loved it and really looked forward to each edition. As for the comment, ‘who reads these magazines’ above, it may be a bit of a stretch for some to understand, but there are people for whom actually being able to hold a book or a mag, turn pages, experience it as a discrete object, is the whole delicious point – it’s not just another cold, cyberman-ish intangible electronic experience (ugh). I don’t want my life to be reduced to a screen thanks. What a sad, bad, mad decision. (And OMG, I hadn’t heard they’ve killed off Dolly – that was an Australian teenage tradition).
I have only just found out that I have the last edition of STYD in my hands. It was one of my favourite magazines. I love to read pages rather than screens, and will miss being able to share this mag with my friends. When you look at all the rubbish magazines that are in the newsagents, it’s a wonder that this was chosen to be discontinued and I am very disappointed with this closure.
Just googled Shop Til You Drop as I was wondering when the summer issue will be out. Now I am sad and disappointed that it has been shut down, although I guess it was a long time coming. Shop was one of my favourite magazines, I also prefer to read paper than screens.
What a bloody shame! STYD was a classic mag – with appeal to all ages who are interested in fashion, and what female isn’t? The difference that was obvious in this great mag was that they featured ALL current fashions, not the designer labels that bought their way into mags. Here you could find the supplier of whatever ‘look’ you liked, at an affordable price. I’ll miss it heaps, as there never has been a mag of its style and calibre. Bad move Bauer to close it down, bad, bad move.
RIP STYD – hopefully some smarter company will revive you someday, and soon!
This is the only fashion magazine without bullshit stories about giving him head, getting sixty five orgasms, and tons of ads. It featured FASHION. Trends, at all price points….I am super disappointed by this magazine’s demise.
Totally agree.
I am really disappointed – I have been waiting for the Winter edition and guessed something must have happened when it never appeared. Such a shame – I really looked forward to this mag which promoted fashion that you could actually see, not something photographed through a haze. It had a range of price levels and sizes too. I hate Instyle which promotes celebrities in $1000 fashions. If I wanted to read about them I’d buy “Who” or “No Idea”. I agree they ruined a good product. The monthly format was good then they made it fortnightly which was too often, and then quarterly which was too little. Then they blame the infrequency for it’s demise, when it was their fault! A “business decision” by people who are incompetent I guess.
Bring it back . PLEASE.
Really missing SHOP TIL YOU DROP! None of the other fashion & lifestyle magazines come close to it’s readability and usefulness, and it is greatly missed. Locating good fashion is getting harder in this era of cheaply made, throw-away styles, and no-one is addressing this issue. Subscribed for a while to In Style but it is a poor imitation – full of ads; ridiculous garment pairings; and stupid suggestions.