· PC Direct to close immediately
· New online products to be announced

VNU Business Publishing London (BPL), part of VNU Business Media Europe, announced today changes in the PC consumer portfolio leading to the closure of PC Direct and the launch of new online developments in the Autumn.

PC Direct was launched 10 years ago to serve the needs of computer buyers but in recent years with the advent of the internet and web-based purchasing that channel is no longer as effective as it used to be and other publications in the VNU portfolio, the biggest range of computer magazines in the UK, serve that need.

Juliet Parker, publishing director PC consumer, said: This rationalisation of our print business is part of our wider cross-media strategy to extend our key brands ComputerActive, PCW, PC Magazine and What PC, onto the web and add value for the reader and the advertiser.

An innovative new development, which we will be announcing in the next few weeks, will be the launch of a pilot web comparative shopping tool across Europe. This will be an integral and exciting new part of the new Personal Computer World (PCW) site on VNUNet.

The closure of PC Direct will mean that a small number of redundancies will take place. However, these will be kept to a minimum, and as many staff as possible will be offered other jobs within VNU.

Parker said: In rationalising our portfolio we are concentrating on major and inventive extensions of our key brands such as PCW onto the web to provide readers with a unique online shopping experience. I look forward to being able to give further details of these in the next few weeks.