Porter Magazine Taps Hearst’s Sarah Bailey

LONDON — Despite ongoing shake-ups in the publishing industry, Net-a-porter’s Porter magazine is boasting growth — and adding to its team.

The company has announced the appointment of editorial veteran Sarah Bailey as executive brand editor, a new role, at the magazine, which is published by Net-a-porter Group.

Bailey’s role will focus on establishing Porter as a stand-alone brand, through a series of events ranging from dinners to talks and galas. Working alongside Lucy Yeomans, Porter’s editor in chief and Net-a-Porter’s global content director, Bailey will work on the publication’s branding strategy across print and digital, building on this year’s events, which included an Incredible Women talk series hosted in London, New York and Los Angeles and the annual Incredible Women Gala.

Bailey will take on her new position as of January.

It’s a return, of sorts, for Bailey, who had previously worked as deputy editor under Yeomans at Harper’s Bazaar for more than 10 years, and also held the role of editor in chief at Elle U.K. Most recently, she served as editor in chief of Red magazine and in July was given additional duties within Hearst, as group editorial director for Red, Prima and Good Housekeeping as the publisher began consolidating its teams.

“I have admired Porter since its launch and I feel very excited to be able to bring my experience to this beautiful, intelligent, shoppable magazine, and to work closely with Lucy to grow the scope of this modern, supercompelling brand,” said Bailey.

Yeomans added that Bailey’s experience working both in the U.K. and the U.S. will strengthen Porter as a brand and allow the team to be “even more ambitious editorially.”

Yoox Net-a-porter is continuing to invest in the bimonthly publication as its circulation and engagement with Net customers grows.

According to the company, in 2016 circulation grew 6 percent year-over-year, while the magazine’s network of high-net-worth readers increased 43 percent.

The title is also driving sales at Net, according to Porter.

Net-a-porter customers who become Porter subscribers tend to shop more frequently on the site — 5.2 times a year versus 2.2 times for those who don’t subscribe. Subscribers’ net spend is also 77 percent higher. According to Porter, 78 percent of readers interact with the magazine’s shoppable elements, by scanning shopping pages on their iPhones or using the magazine’s iPhone or Android apps.

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