Asda Direct launches digital magazines service

Asda's "digital newsagent", created using technology from John Menzies Digital, allows customers of the Wal-Mart-owned grocer's new online non-food service to subscribe to and download digital editions of more than 100 consumer magazines, including Nuts, Heat and Top Gear.

John Menzies Digital managing director Sarah Clegg said the partnership with Asda would help bring the digital edition technology into the mainstream and would help ensure retailers still have a place as a magazine distribution channel as publishers adopt digital editions and e-reader devices become more prevalent among consumers.

Clegg said: “Part of the reason we’re working with retailers is to ensure that they are very much a part of this. We want the route to market to be through retail.”

John Menzies Digital – a joint venture between the news distributor John Menzies and French retail and publishing giant Largardère Services – already has online partnerships with WHSmith and ITV.com. It operates the service with revenue shared between the magazines’ publishers and retailers.

“I think in three years or so, we’ll see that everybody will have a mobile phone, a laptop and an e-reader, but there’s no reason you can’t download that magazine from Asda,” Clegg said.

She expects the digital market to increase as more portable devices are made available.

“It’s a small database at the moment, hence why we’re going for quick and large routes to market, and are looking at adding more e-commerce partners.”

To promote the launch, Asda Direct is offering a free trial of the service to the first 10,000 customers who register.

Asda multichannel trading director Tony Prescott said: “Since launch, Asda Direct has gone from strength to strength and we believe this to be an important addition to the site. We will continue to develop further content to maximise customers' shopping experience.”