Mutual retail group The Co-operative is to launch a new bi-monthly magazine for its grocery business which will be published both in print and online, it was revealed today.
Publishing firm River has won the contract to produce the Co-operative Food magazine which will be available free to shoppers at larger Co-op stores and via the retailer‘s website.
The magazine will feature simple meal ideas, will support the grocer‘s “Good with food” branding & promotion and will contain articles supporting its core values.
Helen Nunn, Head of Marketing at The Co-operative Food, said: “The Co-operative Food magazine is a major step for us and a key element of our brand marketing programme to highlight our value proposition focused on delivering ‘Big Deals within Easy Reach‘.
“In-store magazines are proven to drive sales and our multi-channel approach will ensure maximum reach for our content by allowing us to communicate with our customers on a number of different levels.
“Through a competitive tender process River proved that they have the credentials and understanding of brand fit to deliver a class-leading suite of assets and we‘re delighted to be working with them.”
Supermarket publications have quickly become highly successful for the major grocers, with the Audit Bureau of Circulations regularly showing a growing readership for thees magazines.
Many fashion retailers such as Asos.com have also realised the potential of digital magazines for their products, with the rise of tablet computers expanding the possibilities of online publishing.
Nicki Murphy, CEO of River, commented: “We have a rich heritage in food content at River and look forward to proving the power of an integrated content approach which includes tablet, web and paper variants of the magazine to deliver results in terms of return on investment.
“The Co-operative Food represents a fantastic opportunity to showcase the power of an integrated content strategy to drive action in consumers.
“The fact that this contract includes both online and offline channels is both significant and essential in a market which has seen increasing use of mobile devices for consuming content.”
