Pacific Magazines
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Predecessor | Southdown Press |
| Fate | Acquired by Bauer Media Australia in April 2020; then purchased by Mercury Capital in June 2020 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Australia, New Zealand |
| Products | Magazines (Better Homes & Gardens, Women's Health, Men's Health, New Idea, Who, Marie Claire, and others) |
| Parent | Mercury Capital |
Pacific Magazines was an Australian publisher of magazines, initially owned by Seven West Media until its takeover by Bauer Media Australia in April 2020. In June 2020, Mercury Capital purchased Pacific Magazines as part of acquiring Bauer's former Australian and New Zealand operations.
History
Among the prominent titles published by Pacific were Australia's top-selling Better Homes & Gardens, along with Women's Health, Men's Health, New Idea, Who, and the fashion label Marie Claire.
The company has its roots in Southdown Press, the original publisher of New Idea, which was long held by the Murdoch family. Following News Corp Australia's acquisition of the Herald & Weekly Times in 1987, additional titles such as Australasian Post, Home Beautiful, and Your Garden were incorporated. In 1991, Rupert Murdoch separated his Australian magazine assets into Pacific Magazines and Printing (PMP).
In 2002, Seven West Media acquired Pacific Magazines, refocusing PMP exclusively on printing services. Two years later, in 2004, Seven expanded its portfolio by acquiring Murdoch Magazines from Matt Handbury.
By 2016, Pacific regained ownership of its digital properties from Yahoo7, subsequently launching several digital platforms spanning Fashion, Entertainment, and Home & Food sectors. The following year saw enhancements to digital content for Marie Claire and Women's Health, with this elevated user experience later extended to titles like Who, InStyle, Men's Health, Home Beautiful, New Idea, and Better Homes & Gardens.
In October 2019, Seven West Media reached an agreement to sell Pacific Magazines to Bauer Media Australia, pending regulatory clearance. This deal was finalized in May 2020. Shortly thereafter, in June 2020, Bauer Media Australia—including Pacific Magazines—was acquired by Mercury Capital.
Publications
Anime
- K-Zone: a monthly children's magazine covering topics such as toys, gaming, anime, sports, and entertainment.
Fashion & Beauty
- Marie Claire Australia: a monthly women's fashion publication inspired by the original French magazine launched in 1937.
- InStyle: a monthly magazine focused on fashion, lifestyle, and entertainment adapted from its American counterpart.
- Men's Health: a monthly men's lifestyle magazine based on the American version.
- Women's Health: a monthly women's lifestyle publication modeled on the international American edition.
- BeautyCrew.com.au: a leading digital beauty platform featuring tutorials, news updates, and product evaluations.
Entertainment
- Girlfriend: a monthly magazine aimed at teenage girls.
- New Idea: a weekly magazine for women.
- That's Life!: a weekly lifestyle publication.
- Who: a weekly celebrity magazine affiliated with the US title People.
- PracticalParenting.com.au: a premium digital parenting resource accompanied by a pull-out section within New Idea.
Home & Food
- All Recipes: Australia's foremost user-generated recipe website.
- Better Homes & Gardens: Australia's highest-selling monthly home and lifestyle magazine.
- Diabetic Living: a bi-monthly lifestyle publication tailored for individuals managing diabetes.
- Family Circle: a women's magazine targeting mothers, based on the American original.
- Home Beautiful: a monthly magazine dedicated to home decoration.
- NewIdeaFood.com.au: an online gourmet food platform presenting recipes and culinary news.
Former Titles
- Bride to Be: bridal magazine; ceased print publication in September 2016.
- Famous: weekly celebrity tabloid; print edition ended in 2016.
- Feast: monthly magazine produced in collaboration with SBS Food; discontinued in 2015.
- Prevention: healthy lifestyle publication for women over 40; final issue released December 2016.
- Your Garden: quarterly gardening magazine; ceased publication in August 2016.