Lads’ mag ‘Nuts’ looking for a buyer as it faces closure after 10 years

Nuts magazine has been criticised for its “sexist” portrayal of women (Reuters)

The weekly “lads” magazine Nuts, notorious for its explicit front covers, is facing closure after 10 years, following a sales slump.

Publishers IPC Media said it had entered into a 30-day consultation with staff about the potential closure of Nuts, criticised for its “sexist” portrayal of women, and its website.

Launched in 2004 for men aged 16 to 30 who had become “disillusioned” with the tabloid press, Nuts’ diet of “girls, gadgets, footy and laughs” fought a sales battle with rival publication, Zoo.

Nuts, whose marketing campaign used the slogan “When You Really Need Something Funny”, hit a peak circulation of 306,802 in 2005. However, its sales slid 33.5 per cent last year, to 53,342 – still ahead of Zoo, which crashed to 29,521 print readers.

An IPC spokeswoman said the company, which sold the original lads mag Loaded in 2010, was open to offers for the magazine.

With just 8,776 digital monthly sales, according to the most recent figures, Nuts failed to make the transition to a digital future as its editorial mix was available for free on competing websites.