The publisher of Cat Fancy magazine has pounced on an opportunity to add a large outside account to its distribution operations.
Irvine-based I-5 Publishing LLC owns numerous magazines focused on subjects ranging from pets to motorcycles for a total of hundreds of thousands of copies every month.
The company recently took over as Brentwood, Tenn.-based Tractor Supply Co.’s exclusive magazine distributor, a chunk of business that includes some 150 to 200 titles delivered to the rural lifestyle retailer’s 1,331 stores nationwide.
The distribution deal followed last month’s news that Source Interlink Distribution had ceased operations after its main client, Time Inc., ended a long-running contract with the company.
Tractor Supply and I-5 Publishing aren’t new to one another.
“We represented approximately 20% of Tractor Supply’s magazine sales, so we had a relationship, and our consumers and their consumers were the same people,” said Mark Harris, I-5 Publishing’s chief executive and co-owner. “We heard they were looking for a distributor and contacted them and said we would also like the opportunity to be the distributor for their business.
“A week later, we got a call that we were awarded the business. We were quite happy. It was the same day that the deal was signed to acquire the Catster and Dogster (online) magazines. Within approximately two hours, we got both pieces of good news, so it was a great day. It will be an increase of about 30% for our distribution business.”
Harris was referring to a deal with San Francisco-based Say Media Inc. to purchase its Dogster and Catster websites, which he said will “further strengthen” I-5 Publishing’s “position in the pet vertical.”
The distribution deal with Tractor Supply will be handled by I-5 Publishing’s subsidiary, I-5 Distribution, which delivers the company’s own publications.
I-5 acquired the magazines and distribution operations from BowTie Inc. in February of last year. The company was already delivering its own magazines and some from other publishers to 3,500 pet and farm stores nationwide. It handled logistics while counting on Ingram Periodicals Inc. for delivery by truck.
All magazines earmarked for Tractor Supply stores will be “shipped by the publisher from their printer to Ingram’s warehouse, and then they’ll be consolidated by store,” Harris said, adding that “we will give Ingram the instructions on how many copies of each publication will go into which store.”
The distribution batch will include millions of copies of monthly magazines. Tractor Supply’s own glossy magazine, Out Here, which is printed and given out at its stores, will account for 500,000 copies four times a year.
I-5 Distribution has 10 employees, including two new hires scooped up from Source Interlink Distribution.
Hires
The company hired Scott Coffman, former senior vice president of sales at the defunct distributor, to be I-5 Distribution’s senior vice president and general manager. Another hire, Angie Nelson, former account manager for Tractor Supply’s business with Source Interlink Distribution, will perform similar duties in Irvine.
I-5 Publishing’s own titles are printed by Mechanicsburg, Penn.-based Fry Communications Inc. The company is owned by Henry Fry, father of David Fry, I-5 Publishing’s co-owner.
Having a big brand like Tractor Supply on a client roster could signal new business opportunities for I-5 Distribution.
“We believe that now we have the infrastructure and expertise in place that we could incrementally add other retailers
on for distribution,” he said. “But publishing” is a much larger portion of our business.
