More Japanese Mills Raise Prices

Japan's Daio Paper and Hokuetsu Kishu Paper have followed the lead of Mitsubishi Paper Mills and the Nippon Paper Group, tabling large domestic price hikes on their graphic paper ranges, effective on shipments from April 21.

In all cases the hikes have been announced at ¥15/kg, which is equivalent to about $156/tonne.
All the firms have ascribed the need for the increase to conditions since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which had a considerable impact on domestic graphic paper production.
It heralded in a boom in imports and a big drop in graphic paper prices, which they are now moving to correct.
Prices for graphic paper grades in Japan have fallen by up to 9% since March 2011.

Target Acquires CHEF'S Catalog

http://www.fortmilltimes.com/2013/03/14/v-print/2556287/target-to-expand-cooking-and-kitchenware.html

Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) today announced agreements to acquire CHEFS Catalog and assets of Cooking.com in two separate transactions. The e-commerce acquisitions are aimed at expanding Target’s presence in the growing cooking and kitchenware market.
Following the closings, the two businesses will be combined to create a new, wholly owned subsidiary of Target. Both brands will continue to operate under their current names. Target believes these transactions present a strategic growth opportunity; however, there will not be any meaningful financial impact to Target’s 2013 results.

Tunku Varadarajan Leaves Newsweek Global

http://www.adweek.com/news/press/tunku-varadarajan-leaves-newsweek-global-147956

Tunku Varadarajan is stepping down as the editor of Newsweek Global, three months into its experiment as an all-digital publication. 

Varadarajan had been the editor of Newsweek International, a post he inherited from Fareed Zakaria, who left after The Washington Post Co. sold the magazine to stereo magnate Sidney Harman. When the newsweekly prepared to discontinue its print edition this past fall, NewsBeast editor in chief Tina Brown tapped Varadarajan to edit the magazine's tablet successor.

Meredith, the Publishing Company That Beat the Internet

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-03-14/meredith-the-publishing-company-that-beat-the-internet

That the Meredith/Time deal was even proposed suggests how much publishing has changed. With the advent of the Internet, the primary sources of revenue—circulation and advertising—have eroded, while the costs of printing magazines—ink, paper, and distribution—continue to rise. In the 20th century, publishers of all shapes and sizes looked to Henry Luce’s Time Inc. for ideas on how to make profitable magazines. But in the months and years to come, they are much more likely to look to Meredith to figure out how to survive.

Meredith has profited from a few key strategies. They are experts at repurposing their content across multiple platforms (magazines, books, websites, mobile devices, tablets, etc.) and aggressively look beyond advertising and circulation for revenue. In print, they stay as far away from the news as possible. They are particularly successful at licensing their magazine titles’ names to major national businesses selling branded products; they also run their own marketing agency. Meredith hasn’t been immune to the forces battering the industry. But over the past decade, by strategically tweaking their portfolio, they’ve managed to maintain steady profits and reliable margins year after year in spite of the turbulence.

Time Spinoff: Hunter or Prey?

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-14/time-spin-seen-hunter-or-prey-with-3-9-billion-real-m-a.html

The spinoff of Time Inc. to create the world’s largest publicly traded magazine publisher may be just the beginning of deals for the owner of People and Sports Illustrated.

With analysts estimating an enterprise value of about $3.9 billion, Time Inc. would be bigger than any other publicly held company focused on magazine publishing after it separates from Time Warner Inc. (TWX), according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Following a failed attempt to divest some magazines to Meredith Corp. (MDP) (MDP), Time Inc. could buy Meredith, which is half its projected size, to consolidate costs, said Wunderlich Securities Inc. Or, Time Inc.’s titles and its more than $3 billion in annual revenue may lure private-equity interest, said Wedbush Inc. 
Time Inc. “could either be an acquisition target for a larger, traditional publishing company or it could itself be an acquirer,” Brett Harriss, a Rye, New York-based analyst at Gabelli & Co., which owns Time Warner shares, said in a telephone interview. “It’s clear that magazine publishing is likely in secular decline. That being said, it doesn’t mean it’s valueless.”

MediaPost Mag Bag: Garden Design Closed & More

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/195860/mag-bag-conde-nast-unveils-video-offerings-promo.html#axzz2NS0KgpmV

Garden Design has been closed by Bonnier Corp., effective March 13, Min Online reported. Bonnier cited the uncertain economic climate, the shift to digital media, and a tough advertising environment as reasons for the closure...

Macy’s is launching a new fashion line for young women called Teen Vogue through a licensing deal with Condé Nast, which publishes the magazine. According to Women’s Wear Daily (which is also owned by Advance Publications), the fashion line was developed by Macy’s in collaboration with editors from the magazine... 
Eddie Ross has been named East Coast produce/editor for print and digital at Better Homes and Gardens, Meredith Corp. announced this week...
Condé Nast had a busy week, with a veritable raft of new products and staffing news. On Wednesday, Condé Nast revealed that Anna Wintour, has been given yet another role; artistic director for the entire company. Also this week, Condé Nast Entertainment, the company’s new video division, unveiled its first online video offerings, with new video players for GQ and Glamour. On the ad tech front, this week Condé Nast joined The New York Times Co.’s Ricochet, a digital platform that allows advertisers to pair their ads with specific pieces of editorial content for sharing via social media, email, and other channels. And more...

2013 e-Commerce Revenue Forecast at $262 Billion

Forrester predicts e-commerce revenue will reach $262 billion this year: E-commerce sales will reach $262 billion this year, up 13% over last year, making up 8% of total retail sales, according to a new report from Forrester Research.

January Commercial Print Ships Up

http://blogs.whattheythink.com/economics/2013/03/january-2013-us-commercial-printing-shipments-up-2-4-compared-to-2012

January 2013 commercial printing shipments were $6.3 billion, up +$148 million (+2.4%) compared to 2012. On an inflation-adjusted basis, shipments were up +$50 million (+0.8%). This followed a poor December, where shipments were down -3.4% in current dollars. The December decrease and January increase may have been affected by small and mid-size businesses delaying expenses until January as part of their management of new tax laws.

RRD Closes Debt Offering

RR Donnelley Closes $450 Million Debt Offering:
R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company announced that it has closed an offering of $450 million aggregate principal amount of 7.875 percent Notes due 2021.