Condé Nast Publications

Condé Nast

Parent company	Advance Publications
Founded	1909
Founder	Condé Nast
Country of origin	United States
Headquarters location	Condé Nast Building, New York City
Key people	Charles Townsend, CEO Robert Sauerberg, President John Bellando, COO/CFO Louis Cona, CMO Jill Bright, CAO Joe Simon, CTO Thomas J. Wallace, Editorial Dir
Publication types	Magazines
Official website	condenast.com

Condé Nast's headquarters are in New York City.

Condé Nast, a division of Advance Publications, is a magazine publisher. In the U.S., it produces 18 consumer magazines, including Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, as well as four business-to-business publications, 27 websites, and more than 50 apps for mobile and tablet devices. The company, headquartered in New York City, was founded in 1909 by Condé Montrose Nast and has been owned by the Newhouse family since 1959. S.I. “Si” Newhouse Jr. is the chairman and CEO of Advance Publications, Charles H. Townsend is Condé Nast’s chief executive officer and Robert A. Sauerberg is Condé Nast’s president.

Condé Nast is largely considered to be the originator of the “lifestyle magazines.”, a type of magazines focused on a particular class or interest instead of targeting the largest possible readership.^[1] Its magazines focus on a wide range of subjects, including travel, food, home, culture, and other interests, with fashion the larger portion of the company's focus. More recently, Condé Nast has expanded its offerings to include marketing services and consumer-focused products such as apps and licensed merchandise. In 2010, GQ became the first Condé Nast title available on the iPad.

Condé Nast International Ltd., which publishes international editions of the U.S. titles, was incorporated in 2005. (Operating as a subsidiary of Advance Publications, this division publishes more than 126 magazines and 104 websites, representing 24 markets around the globe.)

History

Condé Montrose Nast launched his magazine empire in 1909 with the purchase of Vogue, which was first created in 1892 as a New York weekly journal of society and fashion news.^[2] At first, Mr. Nast published the magazine under Vogue Company and didn’t incorporate Condé Nast Publications until 1923.

Mr. Nast, a St. Louis-born publisher, had a flair for nurturing elite readers as well as advertisers and upgraded Vogue, sending the magazine on its path of becoming a top fashion authority. Eventually, Mr. Nast’s portfolio expanded to include House & Garden, Vanity Fair (briefly known as Dress and Vanity Fair), Glamour and American Golfer. The company also introduced British Vogue in 1916, and Condé Nast became the first publisher of an overseas edition of an existing magazine.

Mr. Nast remained committed to publishing the highest-quality magazines, and in order to ensure the finest printing for his magazines opened a state-of-the-art printing press in 1924. It eventually grew to become one of the finest manufacturing plants in the country (until it closed in 1964 to make way for more centrally located sites capable of producing higher volumes). Adherence to those high standards continued even during the Great Depression, when Condé Nast introduced innovative typography, design and color. Vogue's first full color photograph was featured on the cover in 1932, marking the year when Condé Nast began replacing fashion drawings on covers with photo illustrations―an innovative move at the time.^[3] Glamour, launched in 1939, was the last magazine personally introduced to the company by Mr. Nast, who died in 1942.

In 1959, Samuel I. Newhouse, known as “Sam,” bought a controlling interest in Condé Nast, merging it with the privately held holding company Advance Publications. His son, S.I. Newhouse, Jr., known as “Si,” became chairman of Condé Nast in 1975.

The Newhouse era at Condé Nast launched a period of acquisitions (Brides was acquired in 1959), overhauls of existing magazines (after being shuttered in 1936, Vanity Fair was revived in 1983) and the founding of new publications (Self was launched in 1979). And during the years following Samuel’s 1979 death, Condé Nast continued to control an impressive roster of publications, maintaining its image as a premier publisher.

In June 1999, Condé Nast moved from its 350 Madison Avenue address to 4 Times Square,^[4] which at the time had been the first skyscraper built in New York City since 1992 and boasted a Frank Gehry cafeteria. The move was also viewed as a contributor to the transformation of Times Square.^[5]

In August 1999, Condé Nast purchased Fairchild Publications^[6] (now known as Fairchild Fashion Media), home to W and WWD, from the Walt Disney Company.

On October 5, 2009, Condé Nast announced the closure of three of its publications: Cookie, Modern Bride, and Elegant Bride. Gourmet ceased monthly publication with its November 2009 issue; the Gourmet brand was later resurrected as "Gourmet Live," an iPad app that delivers new editorial content in the form of recipes, interviews, stories and videos. In print, Gourmet continues in the form of special editions on newsstands and cookbooks.

Other Condé Nast titles were shut down as well. The company folded the women's magazine Jane with its August issue in 2007 and later shut down its website. One of Condé Nast's oldest titles, the American edition of House and Garden, ceased publication after the December 2007 issue. Portfolio, Mademoiselle and Domino were folded as well.

Condé Nast has also made some notable acquisitions. On October 31, 2006, Condé Nast acquired the content aggregation site Reddit, which was later spun off as a wholly owned subsidiary in September 2011. On May 20, 2008, the company announced its acquisition of another popular technology-oriented website, ArsTechnica.com.

In July 2010, Robert Sauerberg became Condé Nast’s president, ushering in a new era less reliant on print adverting and increasingly focused on the development of digital platforms, innovative products and new marketing services to generate revenue. In May 2011, Condé Nast was the first major publisher to deliver subscriptions for the iPad, starting with The New Yorker; the company has since rolled out iPad subscriptions for nine of its titles. In the same month, Next Issue Media, a joint venture formed by five U.S. publishers including Condé Nast, announced subscriptions for Android devices, initially available for the Samsung Galaxy Tab.^[7]

In June 2011, Condé Nast announced that it would relocate its headquarters to One World Trade Center in 2015.^[8]

In September 2011, Condé Nast said it would offer 17 of its brands to the Kindle Fire, Amazon’s answer to Apple’s iPad. ^[9]

Current US publications and digital assets

Fashion and lifestyle

• Vogue
• W
• Glamour
• Allure
• Self
• Teen Vogue
• GQ
• Details
• Lucky
• Style.com/Print
• Style.com

Home

• Architectural Digest

Bridal

• Brides

Golf

• Golf Digest
• Golf World

Food

• Bon Appétit
• Epicurious
• Gourmet Live

Travel

• Condé Nast Traveler

Technology

• Wired
• Ars Technica
• reddit

Culture

• Vanity Fair
• The New Yorker

Trade

• WWD
• Footwear News

Defunct publications

• Cargo
• Condé Nast Portfolio
• Cookie
• Domino
• Elegant Bride
• Golf for Women
• Gourmet
• House and Garden (defunct in U.S.; still published in U.K.)
• Jane
• Mademoiselle
• Men's Vogue
• Modern Bride
• Vitals Men
• Vitals Women
• Vogue Living
• Women's Sports and Fitness
• Your Prom

Mergers and acquisitions

Acquisitions

Date	Company	Business	Country	Value (USD)	References
01987-12-30 December 30, 1987	Signature Magazine[note 1]	Magazine	United States	—	[10]
01988-11-30 November 30, 1988	Woman[note 2]	Magazine	United States	$&1000000001000000000000010,000,000	[11]
01990-06-25 June 25, 1990	Cook's[note 3]	Magazines	United States	—	[12]
01992-04-22 April 22, 1992	K-III Magazines-Magazine Sub[note 4]	Subscriber lists	United States	—	[13]
01993-04-20 April 20, 1993	Knapp Communications	Magazines	United States	$&10000000175000000000000175,000,000	[14]
01998-06-12 June 12, 1998	Wired Magazine[note 5]	Magazines	United States	$&1000000009000000000000090,000,000	[15]
01999-12-01 December 1, 1999	Fairchild Publications[note 6]	Magazines and newspapers	United States	$&10000000650000000000000650,000,000	[16]
02001-09-05 September 5, 2001	Johansens[note 7]	Accommodation guides	United States	—	[17]
02002-02-28 February 28, 2002	Modern Bride Group[note 8]	Magazines	United States	$&1000000005200000000000052,000,000	[18]
02002-03-28 March 28, 2002	Ideas Publishing Group[note 9]	Publishing	United States	—	[19]
02006-07-11 July 11, 2006	Lycos Inc-Wired News[note 10]	Online news	United States	$&1000000002500000000000025,000,000	[20]
02006-07-20 July 20, 2006	Nutrition Data	Internet service provider	United States	—	[21]
02006-10-31 October 31, 2006	Reddit	Online News	United States	—	[22]
02008-04-23 April 23, 2008	SFO*Media	Web sites	United States	—	[23]
02008-05-20 May 20, 2008	Ars Technica	Web sites	United States	—	[24]

Stakes

Date	Company	Business	Country	Value (USD)	References
01988-11-29 November 29, 1988	Wagadon[note 11]	Magazines	United States	—	[25]
01994-01-19 January 19, 1994	Wired Magazine	Magazines	United States	—	[26]
02001-01-17 January 17, 2001	Ideas Publishing Group[note 12]	Publishing	United States	—	[27]

References

Notes

1. ^ Citicorp-Signature Magazine was acquired from Citigroup.
2. ^ Harris Publications-Woman was acquired from Harris Publications.
3. ^ Pennington Publishing-Cook's was acquired from Bonnier AB.
4. ^ K-III Magazines-Magazine Sub was acquired from Primedia.
5. ^ Wired Magazine was acquired from Telefonica.
6. ^ Fairchild Publications was acquired from The Walt Disney Company.
7. ^ Johansens, the parent company of Daily Mail, was acquired from Rothermere Investments.
8. ^ Modern Bride Group was acquired from Primedia.
9. ^ Ideas Publishing Group was acquired from Advance Publications.
10. ^ Lycos Inc-Wired News was acquired from Telefonica.
11. ^ Conde Nast Publications acquired a 40% interest in Wagadon.
12. ^ Conde Nast Publications acquired a majority interest in Ideas Publishing Group.

References

1. ^ "Today in History: March 26". Library of Congress. November 9, 2010. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar26.html. Retrieved 2011-11-02. 
2. ^ A Brief History of the Condé Nast Publications, New York: CNP, 1993.
3. ^ "IN VOGUE: The Illustrated History of the World’s Most Famous Fashion Magazine". NYTimes.com. December 3, 2006. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/books/Weber2.t.html. Retrieved 2011-11-03. 
4. ^ Bagli, Charles. "Conde Nast's Stylish Clan Moves Into Times Sq.". The New York Times. June 6, 1999. http://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/20/nyregion/conde-nast-s-stylish-clan-moves-into-times-sq.html. Retrieved 2011-11-03. 
5. ^ Agovino, Theresa. "Condé Nast deal at 1 WTC now official.". Crain's New York. June 6, 1999. http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20110525/REAL_ESTATE/110529932#ixzz1ZN1yiAhH. Retrieved 2011-11-03. 
6. ^ Kuczynski, Alex. "Merger Planned for 2 Giants of Fashion Publishing.". The New York Times. August 20, 1999. http://articles.latimes.com/1999/aug/21/business/fi-2205. Retrieved 2011-11-03. 
7. ^ Kaplan, David. "Next Issue Media Works To Build The Storefront Before The Audience Arrives.". PaidContent. June 29, 2011. http://paidcontent.org/article/419-next-issue-media-works-to-build-the-storefront-before-the-audience-arri/. Retrieved 2011-11-03. 
8. ^ Bagli, Charles. "Condé Nast Will Be Anchor of 1 World Trade Center.". The New York Times. May 17, 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/18/nyregion/conde-nast-to-anchor-1-world-trade-center.html. Retrieved 2011-11-03. 
9. ^ Vranica, Suzanne. "Magazines Join With New Tablet Challenger.". The Wall Street Journal. September 29, 2011. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204138204576599184167246882.html. Retrieved 2011-11-03. 
10. ^ "Conde Nast Publications Inc acquires Citicorp-Signature Magazine from Citigroup Inc (1987/12/30)". Thomson Financial. http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Conde_Nast_Publications_Inc_acquires_Citicorp_Signature_Magazine_from_Citigroup_Inc-105737020. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
11. ^ "Conde Nast Publications Inc acquires Harris Publications-Woman from Harris Publications Inc (1988/11/30)". Thomson Financial. http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Conde_Nast_Publications_Inc_acquires_Harris_Publications_Woman_from_Harris_Publications_Inc-108275020. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
12. ^ "Conde Nast Publications Inc acquires Pennington Publishing-Cook's from Bonnier AB (1990/06/25)". Thomson Financial. http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Conde_Nast_Publications_Inc_acquires_Pennington_Publishing_Cook_s_from_Bonnier_AB-168299020. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
13. ^ "Conde Nast Publications Inc acquires K-III Magazines-Magazine Sub from Primedia Inc (1992/04/22)". Thomson Financial. http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Conde_Nast_Publications_Inc_acquires_K_III_Magazines_Magazine_Sub_from_Primedia_Inc-252540020. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
14. ^ "Conde Nast Publications Inc acquires Knapp Communications Corp (1993/04/20)". Thomson Financial. http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Conde_Nast_Publications_Inc_acquires_Knapp_Communications_Corp-308941020. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
15. ^ "Conde Nast Publications Inc acquires Wired Magazine(Wired Ventures) from Telefonica SA (1998/06/12)". Thomson Financial. http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Conde_Nast_Publications_Inc_acquires_Wired_Magazine_Wired_Ventures_from_Telefonica_SA-757996020. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
16. ^ "Conde Nast Publications Inc acquires Fairchild Publications Inc from Walt Disney Co (1999/12/01)". Thomson Financial. http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Conde_Nast_Publications_Inc_acquires_Fairchild_Publications_Inc_from_Walt_Disney_Co-914700020. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
17. ^ "Conde Nast Publications Inc acquires Johansens Ltd(Daily Mail) from Rothermere Investments Ltd (2001/09/05)". Thomson Financial. http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Conde_Nast_Publications_Inc_acquires_Johansens_Ltd_Daily_Mail_from_Rothermere_Investments_Ltd-1219422040. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
18. ^ "Conde Nast Publications Inc acquires Modern Bride Group(Primedia) from Primedia Inc (2002/02/28)". Thomson Financial. http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Conde_Nast_Publications_Inc_acquires_Modern_Bride_Group_Primedia_from_Primedia_Inc-1261812020. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
19. ^ "Conde Nast Publications Inc acquires remaining interest in Ideas Publishing Group from Advance Publications Inc (2002/03/28)". Thomson Financial. http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Conde_Nast_Publications_Inc_acquires_remaining_interest_in_Ideas_Publishing_Group_from_Advance_Publications_Inc-1283962020. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
20. ^ "Conde Nast Publications Inc acquires LYCOS Inc-Wired News from Telefonica SA (2006/07/11)". Thomson Financial. http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Conde_Nast_Publications_Inc_acquires_LYCOS_Inc_Wired_News_from_Telefonica_SA-1776207020. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
21. ^ "Conde Nast Publications Inc acquires NutritionData.com (2006/07/20)". Thomson Financial. http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Conde_Nast_Publications_Inc_acquires_NutritionData_com-1778873020. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
22. ^ "Breaking News: Condé Nast/Wired Acquires Reddit (2006/10/31)". TechCrunch. http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/10/31/breaking-news-conde-nastwired-acquires-reddit/. Retrieved 2006-10-31. 
23. ^ "Conde Nast Publications Inc acquires SFO*Media LLC (2008/05/20)". Reuters. 2008-04-24. http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS248273+24-Apr-2008+PRN20080424. Retrieved 2008-11-14. 
24. ^ "Conde Nast Publications Inc acquires Ars Technica LLC (2008/05/20)". Thomson Financial. http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Conde_Nast_Publications_Inc_acquires_Ars_Technica_LLC-1979222020. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
25. ^ "Conde Nast Publications Inc acquires a minority stake in Wagadon Ltd (1988/11/29)". Thomson Financial. http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Conde_Nast_Publications_Inc_acquires_a_minority_stake_in_Wagadon_Ltd-108845040. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
26. ^ "Conde Nast Publications Inc acquires a minority stake in Wired Magazine(Wired Ventures) from Telefonica SA (1994/01/19)". Thomson Financial. http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Conde_Nast_Publications_Inc_acquires_a_minority_stake_in_Wired_Magazine_Wired_Ventures_from_Telefonica_SA-385708020. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
27. ^ "Conde Nast Publications Inc acquires Ideas Publishing Group (2001/01/17)". Thomson Financial. http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Conde_Nast_Publications_Inc_acquires_Ideas_Publishing_Group-1083158020. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 

External links

• Condé Nast corporate homepage
• Condé Nast article in St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture
• Gourmet Live