Glossy mag giant Pacific Magazines has sold two of its long-running youth publications to publisher nextmedia following a company-wide review.

The two magazines Total Girl and K-Zone will now be in the ownership of special interest publisher nextmedia. Pacific also revealed plans to shrink the printing of longstanding female title Girlfriend to seasonal issues with a renewed focus on digital.

Following the path as rival publisher Bauer Media, Pacific Magazines says the sale is a result of a strategic review and rationalisation.

“Our youth titles have always been very close to our hearts. The brands are innovators and have always attracted some of the country’s best publishing talent – and the external interest in this sale speaks to the strength of both,” says Pacific Magazines CEO Gereurd Roberts.

“We have however been reviewing our strategy with a view to refocussing our efforts on the major consumer and advertising categories – Food, Family, Home, Fashion, Beauty and Health – and it is within this framework that we have assessed the sale proposal. We believe both titles will flourish under nextmedia.”

Pacific says its decision to reduce its publishing of Girlfriend from monthly issues to seasonal was sparked by the results of a six-month consumer research study.

“Since inception, Girlfriend has a history of evolving with its audience. The changes announced today reflect our commitment to continue to do so. It’s time for a new go-to brand, developed directly for today’s Gen Z female audience – who is drastically different from her Millennial predecessors,” says Girlfriend content director Tamara Davis.

“We understand the nuanced shifts in her drivers, motivators, values and consumption habits. Based on this understanding, we’re evolving when, where and how we communicate – and will unveil a reimagined Girlfriend brand, a keepsake print format and a more sophisticated content approach early in the new year.”

Girlfriend audience dropped by 1.6 per cent this year from to 190,000 readers per issue.

Fellow publishing giant Bauer Media flagged its march towards digital with plans to slash underperforming magazines and a similar operations streamline. 

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