Burlington Free Press

The following is an excerpt from the press coverage.  To read the complete piece, click here: EatingWell Media Group Purchased

Meredith Corp., publisher of Family Circle, Better Homes and Gardens and other magazines reaching 75 million subscribers annually, has snatched up the Charlotte-based magazine and website, EatingWell Media Group, which has created one of the most successful websites for healthy eating in the country.Lisa Gosselin, editorial director of EatingWell Media Group since 2006, said Monday the magazine’s website has gone from zero to 1.8 million unique visits per month in the past five years, putting it among the top 25 food websites worldwide. Gosselin said the print magazine has a paid circulation of 350,000.

“We’ve been approached periodically by companies interested in buying us,” Gosselin said. “I think Meredith is a good fit for us.”

Cairn Cross of FreshTracks Capital L.P. in Shelburne helped to finance the relaunch of EatingWell in 2002, after it was shut down in 1998 by Hachette Filipacchi, publisher of magazines including Car and Driver and Woman’s Day. James Lawrence, who founded the magazine in 1990, gathered together former co-workers for the relaunch in 2002.

“I think they’ve been keeping track of the company for quite a while,” Cross said Monday of Meredith. “Back in April, they came forward with an unsolicited offer and started a negotiation process. We were as surprised as anyone.”