According to publishers IPC Media: First launched on 4th November 1911 with a cover price of 1d (one old penny), Woman’s Weekly has been a stalwart of the women’s magazine market and remains a firm favourite of its 851,000 readers every week. In July the magazine reported a 0.4% year-on-year increase in circulation to 339,993 demonstrating the continued loyalty of its readers.
By constantly evolving and refreshing both content and design, Woman’s Weekly has been able to remain as relevant to British women today as when it first launched. The first issue sold half a million copies and the magazine reached its peak in the 1950s, boasting a circulation of over two million copies per week. Despite competition today from 24 other women's weekly titles, one hundred years on, Woman's Weekly is the best-selling magazine in the mature sector and the fastest-growing title in the entire women’s weeklies market year-on-year.
To celebrate the centenary, a special bumper issue is packed full with special-occasion content and includes the very first edition of Woman’s Weekly from 1911 reprinted in its entirety. The centenary issue dedicates 132-pages to all that has made Woman’s Weekly so iconic over the decades.
Woman’s Weekly editor Diane Kenwood says: “When she launched the magazine, my original predecessor set out a clear vision which stated: ‘I say frankly that the women of Mayfair and the lady who lives in the castle are not catered for in this paper. But the women who lives in the villa or the cottage, in a large house or a small house, the woman who rules the destinies of the home, is going to be helped in her life, her work and her recreation by this journal’. Remaining faithful to this original blueprint has been the core principle of the magazine for the past 100 years and is, I firmly believe, the reason why it remains the number one best seller in its market."
Sandy Gale, publishing director of Woman’s Weekly added: “The past one hundred years of Woman’s Weekly provides a unique record of the lives of women and social issues of the last century and it remains as resolutely and proudly relevant to its hundreds of thousands of readers today. This year Woman’s Weekly has launched a number of partnerships with high profile brands including Thornton’s and Macmillan Cancer Support, and has bolstered its presence at a number of live events across the UK. Whilst we are one hundred, we are a true example of the adage – you’re only as old as you feel.”
