Shape France

The magazine was largely translated material and never got a foothold in the French market. It only sold 28,000 copies and didn’t get much amour from advertisers, according to the Post.

“The international market, based on the economy, is very challenging, especially in France,” a spokesperson for parent company American Media International told the Post, confirming that the current issue of Shape France will be le fin.

The closure of Shape France coincides with the departure of Sue Yein Butcher, one of the longest serving executives at AMI. Ms. Butcher, who was previously in charge of Mira, the company’s Spanish-language celebrity tabloid, spoke Spanish--not French. Quelle horreur!

Shape’s concept may have been a hard sell in France as well. An article about French Jenny Craig in The New York Times last summer outlined the difficulties of trying to import L'Américain style of fitness and exercise across the pond.

“A track coach well known in France walks a woman through some low-key exercises, like arm swings and biceps curls with water bottles for weights. There is much talk of breathing. Although gyms have proliferated in the last 10 years in France, rigorous exercise is still not considered a requirement of responsible adulthood the way it is here,” wrote The New York Times.

In the same article, chic French smoked cigarettes while expressing horror at the American concept of the snack and the self-service. With cultural differences like that, is it any wonder that Shape France will be no longer?

From the release:

The opening lines of New York Magazine's 2003 profile of Ms. Fuller were "Bonnie Fuller knows how to make an exit. She’s made six of them in her twenty-year career as an editor-in-chief, and not all of them have worked out so well, but this one went off with the diversionary panache of the casino heist in Ocean’s Eleven."

No word on how her Star editor-at-large role will impact the current holder of that title at that magazine.

Release follows:

AMERICAN MEDIA ANNOUNCES BONNIE FULLER TO STEP DOWN AS EVP AND CHIEF EDITORIAL DIRECTOR; TO SERVE AS EDITOR-AT-LARGE OF STAR MAGAZINE AND CONSULTANT TO COMPANY

NEW YORK, MAY 13, 2008 – American Media, Inc. (AMI) today announced that Bonnie Fuller, who has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Editorial Director since July 2003, will resign from those positions as of May 14, 2008. Going forward, Ms. Fuller will serve as editor-at-large of AMI’s Star magazine, and also will act as a consultant to the company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer David J. Pecker.

“I am proud of the significant achievements of American Media’s celebrity and fitness brands over the past five years, and I am now ready for a new adventure,” said Ms. Fuller. “The transformation of Star from a tabloid into a glossy magazine was unprecedented and has proven to be a great success. I am also proud of the redesigns of several other titles over the past few years. I have been fortunate to work with an exceptional group of talented editors and publishers, and am thrilled to continue my involvement with AMI through my role as editor-at-large at Star and consultant to David Pecker.”

“Bonnie Fuller has been an important part of a team that has overseen a range of extremely successful editorial initiatives over the past five years,” said Mr. Pecker. “I am pleased that we will continue to benefit from her journalistic contributions through her role as editor-at-large at Star and a consultant to the company.”

About American Media, Inc.

American Media, Inc. is the leading publisher of celebrity journalism and health and fitness magazines in the U.S. These include Star, Shape, Men’s Fitness, Fit Pregnancy, Natural Health, and The National Enquirer. In addition to print properties, AMI owns Distribution Services, Inc., the country's #1 in-store magazine merchandising company.