New Zealand’s leading food publication, Dish, is making a big move across the ditch with its magazines going on sale in Australian supermarkets.
Published bi-monthly, Dish is New Zealand’s biggest-selling food title, building up a dedicated following among Kiwi foodies over the past 21 years with its tasty recipes and handy cooking tips.
A new distribution deal means Dish will be available across Australia at Coles and Woolworths stores, as well as at Ritchies Supa IGA, Australian’s largest independent supermarket chain.
Made it happen
Prior to this deal, Dish was mainly accessed in Australia through mail-order subscriptions and could also be purchased at some news agencies.
Sarah Tuck, CEO and editor of Dish, marked the supermarket launch with a guest appearance on Channel 7’s breakfast show Sunrise, where she demonstrated an easy-bake chicken and leek risotto recipe and roasted vegetable side dish.
She says Dish extended its distribution into Australian supermarkets after rival publication Delicious magazine stopped its monthly print edition in June.
“The Australian supermarkets can be tough to break into, so when the decision was made to stop printing Delicious as a standalone magazine, we jumped at the opportunity to grow our presence in the Australian market.”
Bold plans ahead
According to Dish’s research, about 20% of its current readers in Australia are Kiwi ex-pats, but most are Australian foodies who have discovered the magazine and quickly fallen in love.
Tuck says they will initially be shipping 6000 copies to supermarkets and an extra 1000 for subscribers, although she expects these numbers to increase rapidly as the magazine gains popularity.
She is planning for Dish to eventually be printed and distributed from Australia, which would significantly reduce costs.
Designed for Aussie foodie
The new issue of Dish features some Aussie-focused content including an extract from an Australian cookbook using native Australian ingredients, a Q&A with the judges from Masterchef and a feature on Australian shiraz.
However, Tuck says Dish won’t be straying too much from the successful formula that has seen it achieve an exceptional sell-through rate of 80-90% in New Zealand supermarkets.
“We’ve worked really hard to build a trusted relationship with our audience here in New Zealand, and our aim is to create that same sense of Dish community in Australia,” she says.
“What sets us apart from the other food magazines in Australia is our focus on the recipes, with up to 70 in each issue. We survey our readers twice a year, so we know that this is the content they want more of.
“Our glossy, high-quality presentation gives our magazine staying power on coffee tables, and some of our readers have collected every single Dish issue since we began.
“Having a presence in Australian supermarkets will hugely increase our visibility in that market, and we’re hoping Aussie food lovers will become similarly obsessed once they find out about us,” Tuck adds.
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