L.A. homes to get new luxury magazine

Homefront LA, a luxury shelter magazine, will launch in January 2009 with a circulation of 35,000.

The glossy, which will be published 10 times in 2009, will be delivered for free to 20,000 targeted households in select Los Angeles neighborhoods, including Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Malibu and West Hollywood. The mailing audience, culled from various shelter titles and interior design interest lists, has an average home value of $924,513 and average household income of $250,000. Another 10,000 copies of Homefront will be sent to industry professionals such as realtors, architects and designers. Newsstands in Los Angeles and New York will also carry the title.

“It was just the smartest business decision [to launch Homefront] because L.A. doesn't have that many shelter magazines that are on a local level and really well done,” said J.D. McRae, publisher of Homefront LA. “A lot of the design industry comes out of L.A. or New York, so there was an opening in the market and nothing really existed here covering L.A. design.”

He added that, though the current economy and housing market could pose a challenge, part of the reason for targeting such a wealthy demographic was the belief that they would continue to spend on interior design.

A launch party is planned for January and long-term marketing plans include direct mail. Though the title is currently being mailed for free, McRae said the goal is to entice 15,000 paid subscribers by the end of the first year.

Homefront will also have a pronounced Web presence. Plans for the site, also slated to launch in January, include video and possibly other new media.