It's a stable niche but summer is prime time for the puzzle mags Retailers should be selective and discriminating in their choice of puzzle magazines if they are to realise the full potential of the revenue in this sector, especially during this, the peak holiday selling period. That is the view of both the major players, H Bauer Publishing and BEAP, who dominate the sector in the variety and number of magazines they produce, as well as accounting for 80% of market share. Cottage Publishing, which claims to have around 12% of the market, continues to make progress with 16 regular titles as well as its raft of one-shots. Sales of its Family Wordsearch Jumbo are said to have risen 77% in the past 12 months. Trends within the puzzle magazine market in 1999 mirrored those of the total magazine market, according to figures released by BEAP, which show that sector revenue grew slightly, up 0.8% to £45.8m. H Bauer's figures show some 32 million copies of puzzle magazines are sold every year, and that more than 110 titles are published on a regular basis. BEAP's review of the market reveals that there are signs of stabilisation. Following the peak of 121 magazines reached in 1996, total numbers fell back. In terms of title changes, with only 24 launches and 25 closures, the company says 1999 was one of the quietest years recorded. The summer months are of great significance as more people purchase more copies of puzzle magazines of all types during the holiday period. It has in the past been the norm for publishers to promote their titles either by launching new magazines or with covermounts and advertising campaigns during this prime season. Traditionally, publishers have also increased supplies of titles to ensure availability at retail level. But this practice has often left high numbers of unsolds to be dealt with. There are now signs, though, that this approach is changing. BEAP's circulation manager Mike Garven said: "Because there are hundreds of titles in the marketplace, retailers should make sure they stock a selection of magazines. "They should make use of the national list of top 30 magazines and select a good editorial mix from that list. "There should be a range of titles in their mix ­ not just crossword puzzles, or word search titles, but a selection of titles from across the top-selling ranges. And if retailers find that the titles they are stocking are not selling, they should make changes to their choice." Garven added: "These months are the major selling period for puzzle magazines of all types, and retailers should make sure they get the best out of their titles." He continued: "If retailers are wary of trying a particular title, now is the time to do it, because summer is the main selling period for puzzle titles and virtually all of them are being promoted." BEAP's strategy is to continually identify opportunities to develop the puzzle market further with launches that are designed to attract new readers as well as satisfy its existing readership. It acquired Keesing (UK) in March this year, bringing that company's titles under the BEAP umbrella with new name The Puzzle People. During June and July it launched three new puzzle titles ­ Puzzling in early June, New Quizkids on June 20 and Picture Puzzles in July ­ as well as rebranding and repositioning all the Keesing titles under The Puzzle People Banner. Bauer, on the other hand, has chosen to operate in a different way altogether. Commenting on the issue of high unsolds or waste', the publisher of H Bauer's puzzle titles Spike Figgett said this was one of the major concerns for wholesalers and retailers in this market. He said: "We as publishers share this concern and we are doing all we can to ensure our titles run as efficiently as possible. "To this end we have deliberately refrained from the usual practice of huge increases in supply during the summer months. "Instead we undertook considerable covermounting activity in the months leading up to the holiday season which has paid dividends in terms of sales and should obviate the need for us to pump extra copies into the system to ensure high visibility now. We also chose to launch a new title, Big Print Codebreakers. "The first issue sold nearly 50,000 copies back in April. "This way we avoided the flurry of launches, promotions and print run increases which characterise the puzzle market during June, July and August," added Figgett. Both the main companies stress that retailers should use the revenue ranking lists from their supplying wholesalers to decide the range and display priorities. The two leading publishers, point out there are around 80-plus puzzle titles outside the top 30. But retailers should be careful when selecting from them. They suggest that retailers should take note of the following points: - The top 30 titles generate more than 75% of the total puzzle market revenue, and these are the titles that should be stocked - Retailers should select as many titles as they can from each editorial segment. It is important that all segments are covered since crossword fans will not buy word search titles - Retailers should also give full face to the top sellers, especially when they are being promoted - Puzzle magazines should be displayed adjacent to the women's weeklies and TV listings titles, as research indicates that puzzle magazines are predominantly bought by females over the age of 35. The research from leading wholesalers and retailers confirms a very high level of double purchases. {{MISCELLANEOUS }}