The long-running publication Homemakers is shutting down, its publisher announced Wednesday.

Transcontinental Media noted the 2011 holiday issue of Homemakers will be the last issue printed of the magazine. However, the closure may not come as a shock to some in the industry as the French version Madame shut down earlier this year.


Homemakers currently has more than 120,000 subscribers. "The balance of their subscription will be fulfilled with another Transcontinental product in the spring. They will be notified of this via a letter from the publisher that is going out with the Dec/Jan (last) issue," said Katherine Chartrand, Transcontinental spokesperson, in an email to Masthead.

Homemakers did not make Masthead's 2011 Top 50 list based on revenue in 2010, but was ranked 18th in the 2010 report based on 2009 estimated revenue at $11.4 million.

Homemakers began in 1966 as a digest-sized shopping guide in stores. The circulation model changed to controlled-circulation through selected postal walks, then to a subscriber-based magazine, with different owners over the years.

In recent years, Transcontinental Media relaunched the magazine with an eat well/live well focus. "While this positioning has resonated well with readers, market conditions have made it increasingly challenging to maintain the current business model," noted Pierre Marcoux, senior vice president of the business and consumer solutions group at Transcontinental Media. "After studying several scenarios, we have decided to focus our efforts on developing our core multiplatform brands while pursuing new, innovative publishing initiatives.”

Transcontinental claims Homemakers had over 1.4 million readers per issue (PMB) "and a very loyal subscriber following."

A release from the publisher reads, "Given that the profile of the Homemakers readership is very similar to that of several other women’s magazines published by Transcontinental Media, we will continue to speak to their needs and reach them as effectively as we have in the past."

Transcontinental Media's "female-targeted" portfolio includes Canadian Living, ELLE Canada, Style at Home, More and Canadian Gardening. Canadian Living was number two on the 2011 Masthead Top 50 list with more than $48 million in estimated revenue last year.

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