From March 2006, Harper’s & Queen in the UK will become Harper’s Bazaar UK—a final change to a series initiated by editor Lucy Yeomans.
   It makes sense, considering that publisher NatMags is part of the American Hearst Corp., which owns Harper’s Bazaar, and it’s a safe time to do it, as the British edition hits a record circulation.
   I only wonder why it wasn’t done earlier. Queen, which merged with the UK Harper’s Bazaar in November 1970, has a long history, dating back to 1862 (the British edition of Harper’s Bazaar dates back to 1929). However, for most of the time I have watched it, it has come across as “British Harper’s Bazaar” to me anyway. While the brand’s demise is sad, and it is another British brand that has to give way to a foreign one, Queen no longer has the same relevance it did a generation ago. The title has caught up with reality.
   But if I may be cynical, what will the new Harper’s Bazaar bring to the table in terms of 21st-century causes, and will it rope in today’s consumers? If it’s just another magazine, distanced from reality, then the circulation high is either a blip—or an indication that its competitors are doing worse. posted by Jack Yan, 11:34 PM  permalink