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Alice Woodhouse

A classifieds magazine for expatriates that once graced the governor's coffee table has closed after 39 years after the owner was unable to find a buyer for the title.
Dollarsaver, a 16-page bi-weekly magazine, provided listings for tutors, children's party entertainers and English-speaking tradesmen aimed at residents living on The Peak or Hong Kong Island's south side.
"One party was very interested but finally decided it was better to spend his effort on what's been proven," said Jude Lam, who bought the magazine from its American founders in the early 1980s.
Lam said he and his staff of four did not have the resources or ability to save the publication. Its final edition was printed on October 25.
In recent years, Dollarsaver's circulation languished at 13,000, down from 20,000 at its peak.
The magazine was sent directly to a subscriber's letter box, but Lam said as expatriate packages had slimmed down many had moved away from traditional neighbourhoods and were now harder to reach.
A Dollarsaver mobile phone application offering discounts was launched in a last-ditch effort to revive the title, but downloads were limited.
A full-page ad in the magazine cost HK$7,000, which Lam admitted was higher than other publications, but he said it still drew repeat advertisers.
Vince Loden, an Apple Macintosh consultant living on Lamma Island, said he advertised with Dollarsaver for 10 years as it was a great way to reach expats in Stanley or Repulse Bay.
"I've been getting about 90 per cent of my business from Dollarsaver and no other publication was as successful," Loden added.
He said he would now advertise in the Fast Media magazines Southside  or Sai Kung.
Fast Media publisher Tom Hilditch said he remembered seeing Dollarsaver on the coffee table when he interviewed Lavender Patten, the wife of then-governor Chris Patten, in 1993.
"We discussed it briefly and agreed it was Hong Kong's magazine of record," he said. "It exposed all the thrifty eccentricities of Hong Kong's colonial soul."


Venerable classified ad magazine Dollarsaver closes down

Dollarsaver's final edition, printed on October 25

News

Hong Kong

A classifieds magazine for expatriates that once graced the governor's coffee table has closed after 39 years after the owner was unable to find a buyer for the title.


Venerable classified ad magazine Dollarsaver closes down

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A classifieds magazine for expatriates that once graced the governor's coffee table has closed after 39 years after the owner was unable to find a buyer for the title.

A classifieds magazine for expatriates that once graced the governor's coffee table has closed after 39 years after the owner was unable to find a buyer for the title.