Focus Magazine
Delivering an award-shortlisted membership publication for CILT(UK)
Full editorial outsource of a 10-issue-per-year membership magazine
Online readership up 20% year-on-year
Newsletter open rate up from 37.38% to 45.94%
Click-to-open rate up 1.06 percentage points year-on-year
Monthly clicks up 6.9% year-on-year
Regular interviews secured with ministers, directors general and C-suite leaders
Shortlisted for a 2026 PPA Award in the Diversity and Inclusion category
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport is the UK's leading professional body for those working across logistics, transport, supply chain, and operations management. Its monthly membership magazine, Focus, is one of its most valued member benefits – reaching around 12,000 readers across the profession every month.
With an ambition to increase the impact and reach of its communications function, CILT(UK) took the decision to outsource the full editorial production of Focus to Stark at the start of 2024. The move was designed to free up the in-house team to focus on broader communications activity, while ensuring the magazine continued to be delivered to the highest standard — with the added benefit of a partner with deep roots in the transport and logistics sector.
The approach
Stark took on full responsibility for the editorial production of Focus – from forward planning and commissioning to writing, editing, and managing the production process through to publication. Working closely with the CILT(UK) team, we drive the editorial agenda, develop the content plan, source contributors, and ensure every edition reflects both the needs of the membership and the wider industry conversation.
Our journalism background means we bring expert sector knowledge to the role – understanding the issues, the people, and the stories that matter to transport and logistics professionals.
The results
Since Stark took over the editorial production of Focus, the magazine has gone from strength to strength, with online readership growing by 20% year-on-year.
The Focus Bulletin email newsletter tells a similarly strong story. Average open rates have grown from 37.38% to 45.94% – a 7.58 percentage point increase year-on-year, and more than double the 20.8% industry average for transport and logistics. Click-to-open rates have risen by 1.06 percentage points, and average monthly clicks are up 6.9%.
Beyond the numbers, every edition features interviews and contributions from senior industry figures– including government ministers, directors general, and C-suite leaders from across the transport and logistics sector – reflecting the editorial access and industry relationships Stark brings to the role.
Most notably, Focus was shortlisted for a 2026 PPA Award in the Diversity and Inclusion category, recognition that reflects the editorial quality and ambition the magazine now consistently delivers.
