2010 saw a serious shake-up in terms of the editors at the helm of several magazines, but news that Hearst may broker a deal to snag Elle raises questions about potential in-fighting among the glossies.
Legardere, France's biggest publishing company, has confirmed it's in talks with Hearst to sell its international publishing arm -- including American arm Hachette Filipacchi Media, which publishes Elle and Woman's Day -- in a cash deal by January 30. The company issued a statement on New Year's Eve, confirming rumors that had circulated for weeks.
After the musical chairs-like movement of editors at the helm of glosses in 2010 -- Stefano Tonchi to W, Sally Singer to T, Carine Roitfeld leaving French Vogue, etc. -- the news that an entire publishing division may change hands has more than a few editors' feathers ruffled.
More than a few insiders, in fact, are predicting some infighting between Elle and Harper's Bazaar, in particular, should Hachette and Hearst merge. The two are the most similarly-aligned in terms of coverage and audience, but they definitely differ in terms of staffing and corporate culture. Should the two magazines share a parent, it remains to be seen if they would retain the same focus and staff, or if Hearst would realign one or the other to take the most advantage of having to separate, successful fashion magazines.
