Independent retailers are calling on publishers to reintroduce supplies of popular wedding magazines, following stoppages during the pandemic. 

Several of the affected publishers told Better Retailing they stopped producing titles during various lockdowns after demand dramatically dropped due to weddings not being able to go ahead due to government restrictions. 

Affected titles included Wedding Style, Bride & Groom, Asiana Bride, Asian Bride, Khush Wedding, Outrageous Bride, Belle Bridal and Brides. 

Shailesh Patel, from Jan’s in Cockfosters, north London, said his customers have asked for a greater range as they prepare for rescheduled weddings. 

“We used to have around 15, and now we hardly have any,” he said. “But now people are having big weddings again, we need to meet the customer demand.” 

Nainesh Shah, owner of Mayhew News in London, also confirmed his range of bridal magazines had shrunk. 

“Our bestseller was Bride, and it hasn’t been in stock for two years, which is a real shame as we haven’t got a replacement,” he said. “I have some recurring foreign bridal titles and around five UK ones.” 

In addition, the store owners said they received no warning from publishers that their supplies would be stopped. “I haven’t been informed as to whether any of these publications have ceased publication,” said Patel. 

When approached by Better Retailing, Brides’ publisher Dotdash Meredith confirmed the title had switched over to a solely digital publication in 2019, when the firm acquired it from former owner Condé Nast. 

Publisher Khush Wedding confirmed circulation was halted. 

Read the latest ABC circulation figures

A spokesperson said: “We decided to hold the distribution to stores, as stores were closed in the lockdowns and our readers preferred to have the magazines delivered directly to their door via subscriptions, either through our website or third-party websites. 

“However, if the demand for in-store bridal titles is required, Khush Wedding would be happy to investigate possible solutions to make that happen. 

“We encourage any retailers who would like to receive the physical copies to contact us at info@khushmag.com 

The publisher of Asiana Wedding told Better Retailing that, since the pandemic, it has focused its print-title distribution primarily on bridal shows. It invited retailers who are interested in receiving physical copies to get in touch at info@asiana.tv

Wedding Style confirmed it is hoping to bring out a new quarterly issue later this year after ceasing publication during Covid-19. 

Better Retailing understands Outrageous Bride is now a digital-only publication. 

Read more news and advice about the newspaper and magazines category and click here for the latest ABC circulation figures