Lagardere Group and Marie Claire have announced their merger on Friday weekly respective female, Be and Envy, launched this spring in a new set dominated by the media conglomerate.

A joint venture, owned 80% by Lagardère Active Media division of Lagardère and audiovisual, and 20% by the Marie Claire, will edit the new magazine and the weekly celebrity Be Target of Lagardere, which will provide the advertising.

Lagardère Group owns 42% Marie Claire, but it is one of the minority which Arnaud Lagardère, general partner of the group, reiterated Thursday night wanting to get rid.

Lescouëf Bruno, CEO of French magazine publications of Lagardere Active, will take the reins of the combined company, while Jean-Paul Lubot, deputy CEO of the group Marie Claire, will provide the same functions within this new entity.

To move into the niche market of women but crowded, Lagardere had decided in March to create the brand Be, both magazine, website, television series, application for the iPhone and web radio.

Be the first was the launch of magazine audience Lagardère since 2003.The group, which had invested some 20 million euros rough in launching this new brand, targeted a breakeven within three years.

According to Le Figaro, the approximation of the two week early due to faltering sales.Be seen its circulation fall to 171,397 copies sold in late June against nearly 230,000 at the beginning, while qu'Envy barely exceeded 160,000 at the same time cons over 240,000 at its launch in February.

The announcement comes as the magazine Grazia, the Italian group Mondadori, celebrates its first anniversary with 179,704 copies, the paper said.

Lagardere could still benefit from the upturn in advertising revenues, which allowed him to meet his goal Thursday night results from operations for 2010.

The group now expects growth of about 3% of advertising revenue in 2010 Lagardere Active and not stagnation, with a jump of 6% expected in the third quarter as the second.