Loblaw launching new in-store health magazine
Loblaw Companies is creating an in-store magazine focused on natural health. The publication, Sage, will be made in partnership with B.C.-based Alive Publishing Group, and customers will be able to pick it up for free in Loblaw stores.
The move comes shortly after TC Media stopped the print edition of Fresh Juice, which was distributed to select Loblaw customers. The healthy living magazine, which was made by TC Media, was also sold on newsstands and by subscription. (It still exists online.)
Sage will be published nine times a year, and include health, lifestyle and food content. The first issue, which will come out in September, will include 140,000 copies, distributed at 800 banner stores across the country.
“Loblaw customers are increasingly turning to us for products and knowledge that support their appetite for health and wellness,” said Elizabeth Crawley, senior category director for health food at Loblaw Companies. “
Alive Publishing Group has been in the natural health industry for 40 years, and currently creates Alive magazine, as well as an Australian version.
The decision to launch the in-store magazine comes on the heels of Loblaw's decision not to proceed with the launch of a natural food banner called Nutshell Live Life Well. The first store was supposed to open in Toronto last fall but Loblaw has since shelved the concept.
This article was first published by Marketing magazine