The strategic decision to realign six brands in one division under two new Publishing Groups is due to clear similarities in both audiences and advertising clients across the titles and also to encourage greater collaboration across the brands generally, says Hearst.
Good Housekeeping, Prima and Red will come together as a Lifestyle Group while Country Living, ELLE Decoration and House Beautiful will align as a Homes Group, with each group led by a Group Editorial Director.
Sarah Bailey takes on the newly created role of Group Editorial Director of Good Housekeeping, Red and Prima and Susy Smith has been appointed Group Editorial Director of Country Living, House Beautiful and ELLE Decoration.
Both Sarah and Susy will be responsible for the content strategy and quality of delivery across all three brands within their respective groups, reporting to Sharon Douglas, Chief Brand Officer, Lifestyle & Homes. Each individual magazine brand will be overseen by an Executive Editor and these appointments will be announced in the next few days.
Sarah was previously Editor-in-Chief of Red, joining the brand in 2013. Prior to that she was Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar in the US, before becoming Deputy Editor at Harper’s Bazaar UK. Sarah has been responsible for the growth of the Red brand, helping to extend its reach across multiple platforms that include its experiential festival Red Smart Women Week, and the Red Woman of the Year Awards.
Susy Smith has been Editor-in-Chief of Country Living since 1995. She has driven extension of the brand into 14 Country Living Fairs that bring the brand to life, a premium furniture range with retailer DFS, a rural dating site and numerous other branded products. She also created the editorial campaign ‘Farmer Wants a Wife’ and subsequent TV series that went on to be syndicated to 22 countries.
Sarah Bailey says: “I am thrilled to be taking ownership of three such fantastic brands. Red has been dear to my heart for a long time and will always be so. Good Housekeeping is the biggest selling monthly magazine in the UK, has a deeply loyal audience and is as relevant today as when it launched 95 years ago. Prima is well-loved, authentic and cherished by all its many readers. I’m looking forward to working with the excellent teams on each of these brands to ensure that we continue to delight and inform our audiences.”
Susy Smith says: “I am delighted to be taking the helm at our homes titles. Country Living, ELLE Decoration and House Beautiful are all successful multi-faceted brands in their own right. Each caters for a different audience and with Country Living and House Beautiful we hold the number one and number three positions in the home interest market. ELLE Decoration is a global style influencer. The three titles together are a formidable portfolio to go out to market with. I am very much looking forward to working with their incredibly experienced teams to accelerate the growth of the three brands even further.”
James Wildman, CEO, Hearst UK, says; “I am delighted to be making these appointments. Susy and Sarah are both exceptionally talented, experienced Editors, who have the strategic nous, the creativity and the vision to ensure that our Lifestyle and Homes brands continue to strongly deliver against their huge potential and the expectations of their audiences.
“We are currently having conversations with the senior Editorial talent affected by these changes to discuss where we might utilise their exceptional skills and expertise within the business and we will be making further announcements in due course.”
Sarah and Susy will start their roles with immediate effect.
