National Magazine Company’s Cosmopolitan Magazine and Company Magazine have reported the biggest decreases in readership numbers.

The latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations for the first half-year shows Cosmopolitan and Company at the head of the declining interest in women’s lifestyle and fashion magazines.

Cosmopolitan recorded circulation of 401,750, which placed it nine per cent down on last year’s period and six per cent down on the second half of 2009. Company recorded circulation of 217,324, which represented a 5.6 per cent fall in year-on-year comparisons and a 9.5 per cent same period-on-period drop. Grazia Magazine returned a flat performance in year-on-year numbers, with a marginal drop of under half a percentage point.

Essentials Magazine was again the biggest upward-mover, growing by 12.9 per cent in the yearly comparisons to reach circulation of 115,432. Woman & Home also rose, with 369,321 meaning yearly growth of 5.5 per cent. Hachette Filipacchi’s Red Magazine, which is edited by the former editor of Cosmopolitan Sam Baker, returned record circulation of 230,067 on the back of 5.2 per cent yearly growth.

Harper’s Bazaar performed strongly, with circulation of 118,553 representing an 8.1 per cent yearly growth, while Good Housekeeping rose by 3 per cent to 422,496. Other leading titles in such as Vogue and Glamour remained on an even par, with Tatler and Vanity Fair both returning minimal improvements.

With the austerity budget and rising VAT set to hit public pockets even further, the industry is bracing itself for a difficult period ahead, although editors remain optimistic that an economic recovery will benefit the market.