CLEO, Jelita publisher to call it a day

PETALING JAYA: Blu Inc Media Sdn Bhd (BluInc), one of the country’s most established magazine-publishing companies, will be ceasing operations today.

The company which publishes local and international lifestyle titles including CLEO, Her World, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Jelita, Glam and The Peak issued a circular to its staff today which was confirmed by people in the know.

In the circular, BluInc’s management said the Covid-19 pandemic had added to the existing challenges of digital disruption.

“While we have made increasing investments to build our digital capabilities, it is still unclear whether we have gained sufficient traction while the losses continue to increase.”

It said the board of directors had decided to cease operations including for all print and digital publications as the trend of losses was expected to continue for the next few months.

It is unknown how many employees will be affected.

Margaret Sebastian, who served as a managing editor at BluInc, said she was saddened to hear the news.

“Her World, the oldest English women’s magazine, was launched in July 1960 and would have celebrated its 60th anniversary this year.

“This is the end of a magazine that was a companion to many Malaysian women over the decades,” she said.

BluInc traces its roots to 1974 as the Jack Chia-MPH Group in Singapore. Various ownership changes saw it evolve into BluInc which came under the stable of SPH Magazines.

Meanwhile Advertising + Marketing Malaysia reported that advertising agency BBDO Malaysia is also closing its office in the country.

BBDO Asia CEO Jean-Paul Burge was quoted as saying that they would now concentrate their resources in China. - FMT