Premier Christian Media and CCP have announced their decision to cease the publication of their Christian Marketplace magazine.

The magazine was provided for free for those involved in the Christian book trade and was funded entirely through advertising.

Its sister publication aimed at consumers, The Christian Marketplace, ran on the same basis and has been reduced from five to two editions a year.

Premier/CCP blamed a combination of the difficult trading climate of the last four years and the demise of two major bookshop chains and a major distributor.

They added that the recession and rising postal charges had had a “significant impact” on income streams.

The final issue of the Christian Marketplace trade magazine will be the September 2012 issue, to be published on 31 August.

Premier/CCP will continue to publish 100,000 copies per issue of its consumer magazine. The magazine will come out every March and October to coincide with the busy pre-Easter and Christmas periods.

They said that the decisions on both magazines “in no way reflect negatively” on their editor, Clem Jackson.

“[He] has been an excellent editor of Christian Marketplace," they said in a statement.

"In fact, if it were not for his skill and excellent networks these decisions would’ve been made some years earlier.

“The directors wish to thank Clem for his hard work and dedication.”

Despite the troubles with Christian Marketplace, Premier/CCP announced the launch of a new title, Childrenswork Magazine, to be published bi-annually.

The magazine, out this summer, is intended to be a resource for Christians working in children's ministry.

There are also plans to launch Premier/CCP’s existing titles, including Youthwork and Christianity magazine, in digital format for the iPad, Kindle, and smart phones.