Soutar

The initial circulation will be 500,000 copies a week. Just over two thirds of those will be distributed in London with the balance going out in Manchester and Birmingham together with Leeds, Edinburgh and Glasgow Soutar told How-Do.
 
The projected launch pagination is 48 pages but Soutar is naturally optimistic pagination will rise as the magazine gains a foothold among commuters and agencies become increasingly aware as to the ad proposition.

In London the magazine will compete with a host of titles.
 
In Manchester it will compete with the Metro and MEN and in due course by Network Rail’s proposed new free daily for Manchester Piccadilly. Sport magazine, which launched in London last autumn, has also repeatedly said it plans to launch in Manchester and Liverpool but has not yet specified launch dates.
 
Soutar told How-Do that he didn’t see the competitive free market in London or the regions as a reason for not launching. Rather he stressed, the UK is simply following the Continent’s example where in countries such as Spain, 58% of all print media is now free.

ShortList’s business plan forecasts break even at the end of year two he said.

There are no plans for any editorial staff positions in Manchester at this stage but Soutar said it was likely that “Manchester’s vibrant media buying market would necessitate some sales presence” but he wouldn’t be drawn as to what plans the company has in mind. He said sales for the launch would be managed out of London centrally but “within a year, we’ll have a regional operation and Manchester is the obvious place to base our regional sales operation.”

Soutar said the company will not be employing a PR agency but will be spending circa £2m on marketing.
 
The paper will be edited by Phil Hilton, a former editor of Nuts and Karl Marsden, previously commercial director of News International's magazines division will be the managing director.

Soutar told How-Do the company has bought the url shortlist.com from a US seller.

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