Lucire reports 80 per cent sell-through in Romania

For immediate release Lucire LLC

Lucire reports 80 per cent sell-through in Romania

Kiwi mag dukes it out with Elle and Cosmopolitan in Europe with unexpectedly strong results; 10-plus calls daily asking for US edition

Oradea, Romania, and Wellington, New Zealand, July 13 (JY&A Media) New Zealand-owned fashion magazine Lucire has analysed the sale of its first 10,000 copies in Romania and found that 8,000 have been sold in the retail market—an 80 per cent sell-through.

'Eighty per cent is beyond our expectations. We had expected a maximum of 67 per cent,' says founding publisher Jack Yan.

'It is wonderful that Romanians understand the principle of Lucire, and this explains why our European negotiations are going so well,' he adds.

In Romania, Lucire successfully battles local editions of Elle and Cosmopolitan.

'I feel very vindicated that we took the battle to these titles in a market they entered earlier, and have done very well against better resourced French- and American-backed companies.' Romanian publisher Mirella Lapusca says Lucire has been receiving consistently positive feedback since it launched there in May 2005.

Lucire Romania will produce its first Lucire Men supplement next week with its third issue. It features Stacie Jones Upchurch from The Apprentice, much like the July 2005 issue currently on sale in New Zealand and Australia. The magazine also offers a modelling prize for its July number: one winner will fly to New York, return, with a contract with ID Models.

By having practically identical features, albeit translated into the local language, Mr Yan has been able to see his dream of a "global fashion magazine" realized. The concept for Lucire was to have the same features in all worldwide editions, to illustrate how the world is coming together.

'Eastern Europeans have taken to Lucire a lot more quickly than New Zealanders in its print format, yet we've been here for eight years,' he says.

'I'm delighted that there are tens of thousands of people in Romania who are shouting, "Go Kiwi," by buying New Zealand-owned. I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted to turn Lucire into the best brand that ever came from this country.' Mr Yan says he is more confident of Lucire entering other countries.

'We get a minimum of 10 telephone calls daily in the United States asking about an American edition, so we know the demand is there,' he says.

Lucire has a print target of 60,000 copies in Romania to complement the 20,000 printed by Format in Petone, near Wellington, New Zealand.

Presently Romanian production is lower as the magazine trials the market.

About Lucire

Lucire, the global fashion magazine (), started on the web in 1997. In October 2004, it became the first magazine in its sector to extend its brand into a print magazine. By May 2005, it had launched in two countries, becoming the first web magazine to spawn two print editions.

Prior to launching in print, Lucire was the top pure-play fashion site on the web, according to data from Alexa. it covers fashion, beauty, travel and lifestyle, with a global perspective for today’s woman. It is known for providing in-depth, quality journalism. The magazine is targeted at the woman who is tired of the offerings from established fashion players, and chooses to be herself.

Lucire received a Webby Award nomination in 2003 and became the first fashion industry partner of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP, ). It was Official Internet Partner of L’Oréal New Zealand Fashion Week for 2002–3, a media sponsor of the inaugural San Francisco Fashion Week, and Official Media Partner of Stockholm FashionDays for 2004–5 and Fashion Week of the Americas in 2005.

Despite spinning off into print, Lucire’s web site remains one of the most highly ranked, ranking second in Google for fashion magazine. It is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand and published by Lucire LLC. For print edition information, see .

ENDS

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