Reed Publishing shutting down Restaurants & Institutions, Chain Leader Magazines & Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, among others

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Sorry to hear that Reed was unable to find qualified buyers for Restaurants & Institutions, Chain Leader, Foodservice Equipment & Supplies trade publications. The reality is, the publishing business, particularly trade publishing in all industries has changed.

Business magazine publisher Reed Elsevier completed the divestment process for its Reed Business Information magazines on April 16 by closing 23 titles.

The publisher shuttered Building Design & Construction, Chain Leader, Construction Bulletin, Construction Equipment, Consulting-Specifying
Engineer, Control Engineering, Converting, Foodservice Equipment &
Supplies, Graphic Arts Blue Book, Graphic Arts Monthly, Hotels,
Logistics Management, Material Handling Product News, Modern Materials
Handling, Plant Engineering, Professional Builder, Professional
Remodeler, Purchasing, Restaurants & Institutions, Semiconductor
International, Spec Check, Supply Chain Management Review and Tradeshow
Week.

Entertainment trade Variety, the Marketcast research unit, business-to-business directory 411 Publishing, the Reed Construction Data businesses and the Buyerzone lead generation business
were not part of the divestment process, according to a statement from
the company. Reed Elsevier has also transferred Jewelers' Circular
Keystone to Reed Exhibitions, and merged
DM2 with Mardev to create a global list management firm.

Earlier this month, Reed Elsevier sold Publishers Weekly to a former publisher and his partners. In March, Sandow Media acquired Interior
Design, Furniture Today, Gifts and Decorative Accessories,
Home Textiles Today, Casual Living, Home Accents Today, Kids Today and
Playthings.

In February, the publisher sold Electronic Design News, Design News, Test & Measurement World and Packaging Direct to Canon Communications. Media Source Inc.
bought Library Journal, School Library Journal and Library
Hotline in February as well.

Tags: Chain Leader Magazines, Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, R&I, Reed Publishing, Restaurants & Institutions, media, publishing, reed

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Comment by Barry K. Shuster on April 20, 2010 at 8:12am: The shuttering of these fine foodservice publications is a shame, in deed. I know or have met some of the first-rate editorial staff of these excellent Reed publications.

Unfortunately, this kind of house cleaning occurs periodically in large publishing companies to reduce overhead and improve cash flow. Over the years, some excellent and viable titles have been closed down as a result of short-term financial restructuring. In that regard, it is nothing new.

Most certainly, the "publishing business" has been changed in the short-run by the economy and in the long-run by technology -- the same way the network broadcast industry has been changed by cable TV and satelite radio, the movie theater industry has been changed by the film rental business, and retailing has been changed by e-commerce. That said, the principles of highly successful trade and B2B media haven't shifted. Regardless of the platform, the content has to be relevant, unique and useful; the audience has to be well-defined and comprised of purchasing decision makers; and the circulation/distribution model has to be proprietary. The big difference for B2B today is that publishers must offer content on multiple platforms -- print, online, and mobile -- as readers want various modes of delivery at their convenience.

The loss of these publication is a loss for the industry, particularly for the marketers. Sure, print on paper is expensive to produce, no doubt. Nevertheless, it still has no rival as a cost-effective branding tool to a business and professional audience. The shelf life is long and readers consider the advertising part of, rather than an intrusion on, the content.