In May 2008 I wrote that I was surprised at the proliferation of convenience stores in Sydney. Walking around Sydney this afternoon I can see that they continue to multiply – more so that in other Australian cities from what I can tell. And with the migration from CBD based newsagencies to the c-store model is the decline in range choice for the core newsagency category of magazines.
Sydney is full of tourists this time of year and they miss the traditional Australian newsagency retail experience. For many tourists this would be a truly unique experience.
It’s a sign of the times (high rent, high labour costs) I guess which drives retailers to focus on better margin models.