The CEO of the country’s second biggest magazine publisher Peter Zavec has resigned from the company, a day after four of its print titles were axed and less than a week after a shocking set of plummeting circulation figures for most mass market magazines.

Pacific’s top selling New Idea recorded a loss of 14.5 per cent of its readerswhile Who dropped by even more with of readers 18.5 not returning, and there was a surprising 34 decline in digital sales. Marie Claire also lost out in digital sales, seeing a 32 per cent drop – with industry analysts wondering how long the titles will be sustainable for.

Pacific announced it would be closing the print editions of Practical Parenting and Bride to Be, moving them to a digital platform, and will axe Your Garden magazine entirely. I will also cease printing Prevention, which is printed by Hannanprint, while Bride to Be is printed by Offset Alpine.

Zavecz – who cites a desire to move back to Melbourne as his reasons for leaving – has been with Pacific Magazines for 11 years initially as commercial director, then publisher, before assuming the role of CEO.

Tim Worner, CEO and Managing Director, Seven West Media which owns Pacific Magazines says, “Peter Zavecz has successfully led the Pacific Magazines transformation into new forms of digital delivery. It has successfully launched new digital products and the business has been transformed over the past two years. Pacific Magazines has leadership in most of the categories in which it publishes and is taking the lead in driving these brands beyond publishing. 

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