Reader's Digest in holiday tie-up with Travelsphere

Escorted tours specialist Travelsphere is to supply content to a new Reader’s Digest Holidays service.

It is the first time in Reader's Digest's 90-year history that the magazine has got involved in providing travel options to its mainly elderly readership.

The holiday arm will provide escorted tours to 160 destinations, as well as city breaks, river cruises, festival tours and rail holidays.

The offer to Reader’s Digest subscribers and consumers will be provided through a dedicated website www.readersdigestholidays.co.uk.

Holidays will be Abta and Atol protected and will also be bookable via a freephone number to a call centre.

Reader’s Digest chief executive Thierry Bouzac said: “Reader’s Digest is entering the 50+ holiday market.

“As Reader’s Digest is a trusted brand, it was essential for us to partner with a company that has proven experience. Travelsphere draws on 50 years of heritage and shares many of the same brand values.

“We know the wide range of trips on offer, from escorted tours to city breaks and river cruises, will appeal to our readers, as will the excellent value and high level of customer satisfaction.”

Travelsphere managing director Andrew Dufty said: “Reader’s Digest and Travelsphere customers share a very similar demographic, yet before our partnership there was little crossover, so we’re delighted to be working together.

“With research showing Reader’s Digest customers averaging three holidays per year, opting for good quality hotels and new destinations, we’re confident that our carefully selected range of holidays will appeal.”

Travel books spearhead Reader’s Digest ebook launch on the iBookstore.

London, UK - 9 April 2012 - Leading UK book publisher Reader’s Digest has today launched its first selection of ebooks on the iBookstore. The initial wave of titles, available for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch are taken from its best-selling British travel series and include:

- The Most Amazing Places to Visit in Britain (Updated for 2012.)

- The Most Amazing Places on Britain’s Coast.

- The Most Amazing Places to Visit in London.

- The Most Amazing Places of Folklore & Legend in Britain.

Each title provides an expert, practical guide to Britain’s myriad of sights and places of interest. The concept behind the series is ‘Discover Britain as you’ve never seen it before’. Engaging text and fabulous photography combine to make guides that celebrate the remarkable, the quirky and the beautiful while providing a fresh look at the country's most popular attractions. Total sales for the series to date in print format are in excess of 200,000 copies.

Thierry Bouzac, CEO of Reader’s Digest in the UK, said: “We are delighted to be extending our product range into ebooks and introducing our titles to a whole new set of readers using a new medium. iPad, iPhone and iPod touch provide a great showcase for the superb product quality of our books – and their portability means that these ebooks can be taken anywhere.”

Reader’s Digest is one of the UK’s best-known brands with a wide portfolio of products including the monthly magazine (also available via Apple's Newsstand), books, catalogues, DVDs and lifestyle products. The magazine won the prestigious Publishers’ Periodical Association’s ‘Editor of the Year’ award in 2011.

Each title in the Reader's Digest 'Most Amazing Places...' series is available for £1.99* for a limited time to download on iPad, iPhone or iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/ibookstore.

* Normally £4.99

Reader’s Digest announces new five-year partnership with LV=

Reader’s Digest has today announced a new five-year deal with insurance and retirement solution specialist LV=. From 2 April 2012, five of the new financial products available will be offered in partnership with LV=.

The products available now include protection, equity release, annuities, home and car insurance. Protection, equity release and annuities are designed and underwritten by LV= and the LV= Broker car and home insurance products appear on the insurance panel.

The deal represents a significant milestone for Reader’s Digest in its plan to grow its financial services offering. The partnership presents Reader’s Digest with the opportunity to widen its customer base by offering products for a broader demographic.

Reader’s Digest recently upgraded its Financial Services website, www.readersdigest.co.uk/financialservices, to make it easier for customers to receive quotes and buy products online.
Reader’s Digest and LV= will combine their marketing expertise to promote awareness and take-up of these products through promotion, direct marketing and online marketing.

Commenting on the partnership, Thierry Bouzac, CEO of Reader’s Digest, said: “Reader’s Digest UK presents significant potential for financial services products due to the size of its active customer base and demographic of its readership. Our partnership with LV= will play a major role in helping us to realise this potential. Reader’s Digest is committed to growth, not only in its traditional direct marketing and publishing activities, but also from new business streams with new partners.”

Stuart Tragheim, Director, Corporate Partnerships, LV= Life & Pensions, said: “LV= is committed to providing the best products, prices and service for our members and customers and we are extremely pleased to be entering into partnership with Reader’s Digest. We have a strategic ambition to develop new business relationships with large, well-known brands like Reader’s Digest. This is the first time we have been able to combine LV=s life protection and retirement solutions offering with general insurance products from LV= Broker to provide a holistic range of financial solutions for Reader’s Digest customers.”

The products will be available through a number of channels including online and over the phone and customers taking out equity release products and annuities will be assisted by financial advisers.

Notes to Editors:

For further information please contact:

LV=, Addy Frederick on 020 8256 6909 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

About Reader’s Digest

Reader’s Digest is one of the UK’s best-known brands and boasts a wide portfolio of products including the monthly magazine (available via subscription, newsstand and iPad app), catalogues, DVDs, books and lifestyle products.

Following an investment of £13m by venture capitalists Better Capital, the licence to publish Reader’s Digest was acquired from the US parent company, Readers Digest Inc, in April 2010, and Vivat Direct Ltd, a new parent company, was set up.

The magazine has since won the prestigious PPA Editor of the Year award for 2011.

About LV=

LV= employs over 5000 people and serves around five million customers with a range of financial products. We are the UK’s largest friendly society and a leading financial mutual.

When we started in 1843 our goal was to give financial security to more than just a privileged few and for many decades we were most commonly associated with providing a method of saving to people of modest means. Today we follow a similar purpose, helping people to protect and provide for the things they love, although on a much larger scale and through a wide range of financial services including insurance, investment and retirement products.

We offer our services direct to consumers, as well as through IFAs and brokers, and through strategic partnerships with organisations such as ASDA, Nationwide Building Society and a range of trades unions.

LVFS is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority, register number 110035. LVFS is a member of the ABI, the AFM and ILAG. Registered address: County Gates, Bournemouth BH1 2NF.