News
A very healthy state of Flux
Published 15.11.07
Flux has become the first Manchester based magazine to be distributed nationally in WH Smiths. On the groundbreaking deal, founding editor Lee Taylor says, “WH Smiths is a bit of a more commercial environment than we’re used to but it’s great that they’ve said yes to Flux and it will be interesting to see how we fare and whether other magazines will be able to follow.”
This is the second national deal for the publication, with Flux already a firm favourite in Borders stores. “Borders are great for us,” says Lee. “A lot of staff really like the magazine so they’ll do simple things that really help us out - like placing copies prominently in the stores.” Premium retail real estate like this, as those of you familiar with the tactics of the bigger music chains will be well aware, is much sought after; and as more and more magazines are jostling for less space the support of the shop floor team can’t be underestimated.
“It’s getting really hard for independent magazines, harder now than ever, because of distribution systems and massive retailers,” says Lee. “Even bigger stores like WH Smith’s have suffered because of the likes of Asda and Tesco – if you go into these places all you get is wall to wall gossip magazines and glossy weeklies. It’s getting to the point where titles like i-D, Dazed and Arena are finding it hard to muscle in.”
Despite this hostile retail environment, things are looking good for Flux. In a move that affirms the magazine’s position within the world of UK publishing, Flux was chosen to be shown as part of an exhibition at the Design Museum. ‘Print Matters’ brought together the cream of British underground publishers in celebration of their contribution to an increasingly powerful cultural movement. “It’s good to be asked to do these things because for a long time, as a Manchester magazine we were pretty much ignored on the national scene.”
Flux are ignored no longer, as their involvement in illustrious events like ultra hip label PPQ’s London Fashion week party goes to show. “Collaboration on events like this allows the two brands, PPQ and Flux magazine, to bounce off each other and become more than the sum of their parts. It was probably the most successful event we’ve done to date,” say Lee. “We’ve been going to ten years and have grown organically; making millions of mistakes along the way. So this year is quite a significant one for us.”
