Muscle & Fitness Launches E-Store and Sampling Program

NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- David J. Pecker, Chairman, President and CEO of American Media, Inc. (AMI), today announced that Muscle & Fitness, the leading publication dedicated to providing cutting-edge training, nutrition and supplement information, has launched an exclusive e-store at MuscleandFitness.com that provides a range of products in the fitness and sports nutrition categories.

The e-store offers more than 4,000 products from such trusted brands as MuscleTech, BSN, MHP, Nutrex, Universal, Gaspari, Optimum, BPI and hundreds more and has expanded to include the launch of a new Muscle & Fitness membership program. Through this sampling program, each month members will receive a box with at least five samples of supplements and will have the opportunity to try new products before they are available in stores. The Muscle & Fitness store also includes free shipping and exclusive, members-only offers such as free t-shirts, workout gear, and discounts at the store.

Muscle & Fitness readers will have the opportunity to learn about supplements for their individualized needs from the pages of the magazine. Dr. Jim Stoppani, Muscle & Fitness Science Editor, will provide detailed information in a three-part series on specific products offered at the e-store based on various health and fitness routines. In the January issue, for example, Stoppani shares with readers "Morning Mayhem: 5 Ways to Kick-Start Your Day," a feature that coincides with "The Wake-Up Stack," a compilation of recommended products from the Muscle & Fitness e-store that will help readers start their day off right. Pre-workout and post-workout features will be included in subsequent issues, and each of these monthly features will be accompanied by a package of expert-recommended supplements from the MuscleandFitness.com e-store.

On January 2nd, readers had the opportunity to communicate directly with Dr. Stoppani via a live Q&A session on the Muscle & Fitness Facebook page resulting in over 200 questions. Based on the interest and success of the live online chat, Muscle & Fitness plans to continue to provide fans with future chats with Stoppani.

"The Muscle & Fitness brand has been a recognized authority on quality supplement information for the past seven decades," said Mr. Pecker. "With this shopping experience, and the first of its kind sampling program, longtime Muscle & Fitness readers will now have a one-stop-shop at our online store."

Chris Scardino, Executive Vice President/Group Publishing Director added, "We are thrilled to be able to continue to provide fitness enthusiasts with the leading industry information that they trust along with the products that they want. Thanks to the direction of Dr. Stoppani, the leading industry expert, MuscleandFitness.com shoppers can rest assured that they are receiving the most authoritative, up-to-date supplement information available."

The Muscle & Fitness e-store and membership sampling program are now live at MuscleandFitness.com/store.

About American Media, Inc.

American Media, Inc. owns and operates the leading print and digital celebrity and health and fitness media brands in the United States. AMI's titles include Star, OK!, National Enquirer, Globe, Country Weekly, Soap Opera Digest, Soap Opera Weekly, Pixie, Shape, Men's Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Flex, Muscle & Fitness Hers, Fit Pregnancy and Natural Health. AMI also manages 18 different digital sites including RadarOnline.com, OKmagazine.com, Shape.com, MensFitness.com, MuscleandFitness.com and FitPregnancy.com. AMI's magazines have a combined total circulation of almost 7 million and reach more than 55 million men and women each month. AMI's digital properties reach an average of 10 million unique visitors and 80 million page views monthly.

AMI also operates a Publishing Services business unit which includes Distribution Services, Inc. (DSI), the No. 1 in-store magazine sales and merchandising marketing company in the U.S. and Canada. DSI places and monitors AMI's publications and third-party publications to ensure proper displays in major retail chains and national and regional supermarket chains. DSI also provides marketing, merchandising and information gathering services to third parties including non-magazine clients. Publishing Services also provides print and digital advertising sales and strategic management direction in the following areas: manufacturing, subscription circulation, logistics, event marketing and full back office financial functions. Playboy is one of many publishers who have taken advantage of these additional services.

SOURCE American Media, Inc.