Harper's Bazaar Launches in Dubai - HEARST - Hearst

Dubai, March 1, 2007 - Middle Eastern boomtown Dubai has emerged as the fashion and publishing capital of the energy-rich Arabian Gulf. Now those two achievements will combine as the city plays host to the launch of its own edition of Harper's BAZAAR. The premiere issue of Harper's BAZAAR Dubai hits newsstands today.

Harper's BAZAAR Dubai, being launched by ITP Consumer Publishing and Hearst Magazines International, will have a circulation of 15,000 copies covering the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman. It will join the ITP women's stable that already publishes Middle East editions of Paris's L'Officiel, Milan's Grazia, and a range of other home-grown women's titles. The magazine will be published in English.

Dubai is headquarters to a regional market that imported over $5 billion worth of fashion and luxury goods, according to EU and US trade statistics. The city boasts almost 50 world-class shopping malls that house major luxury labels from London, Milan, Paris and New York. It is also witnessing the development of an emerging Arabian fashion industry that is beginning to gain recognition in world markets.

Former Grazia editor, Rachel Sharp, has been appointed as editor-in-chief of Harper's BAZAAR Dubai, and says that the launch is a timely recognition of fashion's importance to Dubai and the wider Middle East region.

"Everybody in the fashion industry that I speak to in Milan, Paris and New York is desperate to be involved in the excitement of Dubai. It is a huge market for them and they are delighted that a magazine with the authority of Harper's BAZAAR is launching in the city," said Sharp.

At 176 pages, the premiere issue of Harper's BAZAAR Dubai is one of the largest launch issues the Middle East has witnessed, as well as the biggest that ITP has produced in its 20-year publishing history. International luxury brands that will advertise in the March issue include Burberry, Chanel Couture, Christian Dior, Clinique, D&G Eyewear, Estée Lauder, Longines, Ralph Lauren, Saks Fifth Avenue, Eli Tahari, Versace, Louis Vuitton, and YSL Beauty.

"With its ever-expanding luxury business and fashion-forward population, Dubai is the perfect place for Harper's BAZAAR to launch its 22nd edition," said George J. Green, president of Hearst Magazines International. "We are pleased to be working with ITP to bring BAZAAR's highly-regarded expertise to this market."

The March issue of Harper's BAZAAR Dubai features international recording artist Shakira on its cover, photographed by Robert Erdmann. Shakira, who is of Middle Eastern origin, gives an interview to BAZAAR prior to her first concert in the region in three years. The issue also include features on designers such as John Galliano and BIBA's Bella Freud; a couture report from the Paris fashion shows; coverage of the UAE's burgeoning art scene; tips for luxury living; design interiors; and beauty must-haves.

First published in 1867, Harper's BAZAAR has been the magazine of choice for fashion-obsessed women ever since. The title doesn't just dominate in its native New York and United States; but it is also guiding women's taste in 21 other countries around the world including the UK, Australia, Singapore and Russia. The UAE will be the 22nd global edition of BAZAAR.

Hearst Magazines International selected ITP as its partner in the Middle East after an extensive selection process. The glamour and style of Dubai and its residents were an instant attraction to the Hearst team, and they were convinced that its women deserved a magazine of Harper's BAZAAR's stature.

"They were blown away by the energy and enlightenment of Dubai's people, and were convinced that the city's women would fall in love with the style and authority of Harper's BAZAAR. When we showed them that cities all over the Gulf, including Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Doha and Oman, were developing with the same passion, they knew that they had to bring a Middle East edition of BAZAAR to this market," explained Walid Akawi, CEO of ITP Group Holdings, the umbrella organization that includes ITP Consumer Publishing.

About Hearst Magazines International
Hearst Magazines International publishes 147 editions of 14 titles in 58 countries in 36 languages for distribution in more than 100 countries. Major titles include powerful brand equities like Cosmopolitan, CosmoGIRL!, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Harper's BAZAAR, Popular Mechanics, Redbook and Seventeen. Hearst Magazines, a division of Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com), is one of the world's largest publishers of monthly magazines with a total of 19 U.S. titles. In Great Britain, a wholly owned subsidiary, The National Magazine Company Limited, publishes 20 magazines.

About ITP Group Holdings
Dubai-based ITP Group Holdings is the largest magazine and Internet publishing business in the Middle East. Its core communications businesses divide into Consumer, Business, Executive and Online publishing companies that produce 50 magazines and five web sites. ITP Events organizes business and technology seminars, roadshows and conferences and provides tailored event management services for corporate clients. The group's new market development division, ITP Ventures, has launched its first business, Spectrum and is set to launch a number of business ventures designed to deepen and strengthen the company's retail reach.