Marie Claire set for an exciting first issue

Her experience includes corporate magazines such as Edgars, Sales House, Truworths and Woolworths. She was deputy editor of Cosmo from 1994 to 1997 and was the founding editor of Baby and Me.

In France Marie Claire is the number one monthly upmarket women's magazine and there are now 25 international editions published around the world.

Suzy Brokensha believes in the international Marie Claire formula. "Marie Claire is a fashion and beauty magazine for woman interested in the outside world. It focuses on quality and editorial excellence and has detailed investigative pieces and self-help advice."

She'd like to improve the quality of the fashion and beauty coverage and make it visually clearer and stronger.

The paper quality will be improved and the format will change to that of O and become slightly broader and shorter.

The Johannesburg office is seen as vitally important and will be headed by deputy editorial director Nadin Rubin.

Brokensha says that the upcoming Glamour magazine might be viewed as a contender by some although Marie Clare focuses more on in-depth quality content, which is not possible in a small format that Glamour would have. Glamour has done well internationally, typically being offered at half the price than other titles. This strategy is often a double-edged sword attracting younger readers, according to Brokensha.

Marie Claire will not be published in June and July during the changeover from Caxton to Associated Magazines.

"Caxton had the right to print the June issue and was offered the July issue which would have made a great deal of financial sense for them and would have been a great relief to advertisers who had committed to these issues," says Jane Raphaely, CEO of Associated Magazines.

"We have been inundated with queries from publishers who have been seriously inconvenienced but unfortunately there is nothing we can do to help them since August is the first issue that we can possibly publish."

"Advertisers are lining up to be in the re-launch issue which will enter the market on a wave of high excitement and expectations," says Craig Millar, Advertising and Sales Director at Associated Magazines.

"Bookings for that issue are already over 50% of what was budgeted, with a month to go, including several from advertisers who did not previously support Marie Claire."