The group holds three brands, South Africa's dominant direct response magazines Homemakers Fair, homeTALK, and Homemakers Expo the original and largest home lifestyle show.
Homemakers Fair and its sister publication homeTALK currently hold 67% of the market share within the home lifestyle direct response industry and is targeted at the LSM 8,9 and 10 groupings. These publications, are distributed knock 'n drop to more than 1 million up-market homes and has become indispensable to South African homeowners as a comprehensive guide to all home lifestyle products and services. The company furthermore handles their own distribution providing more than 100 jobs in primarily the informal sector.
Homemakers Expo is the country's original and leading home lifestyle expo and are presented annually in all major cities - Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Bloemfontein. More than 30 successful expos have been hosted since its inception 11 years ago and annually these shows attract more than 199 000 visitors with 2 121 stands covering 56 000m².
Describing the success of the company, managing director Ray Abrahamse explains; "South Africans are passionate about their homes, and at the Homemakers Media Group we address this passion and give them various mediums to satisfy their needs. Our brands have stood the test of time with 22 years of publishing and 11 years of expo experience. Over the years we have streamlined our formula into one that works for our advertisers, exhibitors and the consumer."
He continues, "Our business is one that functions within the home improvement industry, an industry with an astounding annual turnover of R38.7 billion. This industry is currently, partly owing to the growth in the house market, experiencing a phenomenal boom. We are in uncharted waters and this is an exciting and dynamic time for all in the industry. One of the most exciting aspects of our company is that we provide for the needs of both the small entrepreneurs as well as the larger national companies, offering a bouquet of opportunities, thus becoming a medium for suppliers to speak to the end-user."
"Our aim at the Homemakers Media Group is to, via both our publications and our expos, become a platform for Proudly South African companies within the home improvement industry. We would like to see more Proudly South African companies in this industry, creating a bigger awareness of locally manufactured products and services, thereby establishing uniquely South African trends and boosting our own industry," concludes Abrahamse.
The future looks extremely promising for the home improvement industry particularly given the R1 trillion worth of domestic property which exists and needs continuous refurbishment and improvement.
