Sumantha Rathore
Media

Images Multimedia shuts its consumer media vertical

Apart from plans of introducing digital version of its consumer titles, the group will now focus on the B2B vertical. Also, Sandipan Singh, COO of Images Group, has put in his papers at the company.

Soon after shutting down M magazine, a men's lifestyle magazine, in April, the Images Group has shut down another consumer title, Livingetc. In fact, the group has shut down its consumer media division altogether and now plans to focus on its B2B vertical.

Images Multimedia shuts its consumer media vertical
Sandipan Singh, outgoing COO of Images Group, confirms the development to afaqs!.

Under its consumer media division, the group brought out M magazine and Livingetc. Singh says, "We have shut down the print titles of our consumer media division but we plan to come back with digital editions of these titles in the times to come. We are trying to convert our consumer media division into digital media and we have a big database of e-readers for bigger and faster reach."

The Images Group brought Livingetc to the country in 2009 as a part of a licensing arrangement with IPC Media, a Time Warner company, which boasts of titles such as Ideal Home, Homes & Gardens and Country Homes & Interiors.

He adds that the group plans to focus on its forte, B2B titles, for the time being. "You will see expansion in the B2B domain. A lot of focus will now be on that segment, including the events which we organise," he says.

Images B2B division has titles such as Images Business of Fashion, Images Retail, Images Fashion & Life, (FnL), Sportswear International, Progressive Groccer and Shopping Centre News. The group also publishes books such as India Retail Report, Shopping Centres & Malls in India, Images Year Book, East India Retail: 2010 & Beyond and Punjab Retail Report.

The company also holds industry events including Images Fashion Forum (IFF) and IFA Awards, India Retail Forum (IRF) and Images Retail Awards (IRA), ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centres) India Conferences, THE SHOP, Pure and Play, Shopping Centre Forum of India and Shopping Centre Awards, and Food Forum India and Food Forum Awards.

In a separate development, Singh, who has been with the company since July 2002, has put in his papers at the Images Group. He will go on a short sabbatical before taking up his next assignment.

Singh is armed with 25 years of experience and during his career, has been associated with Motor Presse Netzwerk that publishes Auto motor und sport, a German automobile magazine, as its country head, India. Earlier, he has worked with the Jasubhai Group as the regional secretary for Chemtech Industry; and with Clothesline magazine, a B2B title for the textile industry.

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