Media24 launches weekly news, fashion magazine

This will be the 20th edition of Grazia to launch internationally. The magazine made its debut in Italy in 1938 and the success of the Grazia brand has grown exponentially in the ensuing decades with editions now published in Italy, France, Germany, the UK, China, Thailand, India and Australia.

"For almost 70 years, Grazia has remained at the forefront of the evolution of women, season after season, style after style. In South Africa, we have a powerful force of globally-savvy, in-the-know 30-something women who are eager for an editorial fix that's more relevant, more up-to-the-minute and more in tune with their ever-changing tastes than a monthly. They're stylish, inquisitive and glamorous. They're earning their own money and choosing where to spend it. They read the monthlies, but they want more," says Danielle Weakley, editor of Grazia South Africa.

Only two weekly magazines for women

Commenting on the rationale behind Media24's decision to partner with Mondadori in Italy to launch Grazia South Africa, Weakley points out that more than 200 consumer titles are published in South Africa, with a combined circulation of over 5.3 million. Just 12 weekly magazines are currently published, of which only two fall within the women's general interest category.

"So, there's an obvious gap in the market for Grazia," she says. "It's packed with fashion, news, celebrities, beauty, lifestyle, real-life reads - all the things we know our readers will love. It boasts the gloss of a fashion magazine with the pace of a news weekly."

By launching Grazia South Africa, Media24 will bring to SA the easy chic formula that is the international signature of the Grazia brand. "I believe Grazia's irreverent mix of fashion, news and celebrity appeals to the fast-paced urban landscape in which we 30-something women live," Weakley says. "Grazia has been a game changer in the international magazine market since it began syndicating its distinctive brand of fast fashion, news and celebrity, and I look forward to translating its smart formula into one that is relevant for - and resonates with - our fashion-loving, fingers-on-the-pulse female audience."