Rodale Inc. will relaunch its Men’s Health in France this September, after a three-year hiatus in that country.
The fitness glossy, now in its 39th edition, will be published under a license with French publishing group 1633SA. The group, which specializes in titles for men age 16-33, aims to have Men’s Health on the newsstands 11 times a year.
“France is a very important market to Rodale, given the growing interest in health and wellness issues,” Michelle Meyercord, VP director of Rodale International, said in a statement. “Based on the success of Men’s Health around the world and the passion from the 1633SA team, we are confident that our collaboration will be very successful.”
Men’s Health France joins 76 international editions of Rodale magazines, including the recently launched Runner’s World France. Since December, the company has announced launches of Runner’s World, Women’s Health and Prevention.
To assist in the September launch, 1633 has created a brand advertising team, which will promote Men’s Health online, in print and via mobile. Though the partnership marks 1633’s first agreement with Rodale, the company boasts plenty of experience with other American magazines, including Rolling Stone and Playboy.
Rodale reported a 5.1% increase in revenues for all operations in the first quarter of 2008, and Men’s Health reported a 12.1% increase in revenue over Q1 2007.
