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Essentials Magazine expands print offering, hitting newsagents and airports

Essentials Magazine – a print product focused on food, wine and art previously only available as a limited-release tourism publication – is expanding its offering and hitting newsstands, with its owner saying boutique magazines will continue to thrive in physical form.

The magazine has existed for 10 years in Victoria as a free press 50-page magazine, which has been distributed to restaurants, wineries and food proveedores. The new offering will now be available quarterly in newsagents and airports across Australia for $8.99.

The new retail model of Essentials Magazine launches today

The magazine launched in 2006 as a local product, before expanding to iPad editions in 2012.

Jamie Durrant, editor and director of Essentials Magazine and Multimedia, told Mumbrella, print was actually the next stage in the magazine’s evolution.

“Essential has existed in an iPad format, and that was a great product, however, sales were extremely low in digital and even if I look at audited reports for digital magazines in Australia compared to print masthead sales, it’s about 6% compared with print.

“There is still a thing where Australians love that tactile experience of picking up a magazine and feeling the paper and sticking it under their arm, taking it on holidays or throwing it into their bag when they are travelling or in the car. There is still an essence of ownership and loving paper.

“Essentials Magazine is extremely visual in content, its got beautiful photography,” he said.

The new model has seen the magazine grab a few new advertisers including Imperium Group – which owns the TGI Friday restaurant chain and other luxury hotels – and Spanish tourism board Costa Brava.

The Essential Magazine retail model

Adding to its original format the new retail product will include between 30 to 40 recipes, restaurants reviews, international and local food news and airline food columns.

“Simply there are many more competitors that started both in Victoria and around Australia that are doing successfully well.

“Boutique magazines in particular are doing really really well on sales and customer clients support,” Durrant continued.

Previously the publication was self-distributed to food venues and wineries. The new retail model will see the magazine distributed by Gordon & Gotch. The first edition under the new distribution model is available from today.

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