Australian Newsagency Blog

newsXpress held a Market Fair in Melbourne yesterday for members. Close to thirty suppliers were there with new products on display and some excellent newsXpress specific deals. This is what marketing groups are about, adding value to member’s businesses through exclusive access and or exclusive pricing.
Such offers cannot be put at the […]

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Roy Greenslade makes sense in his blog post at The Guardian about the decision by the publisher of the Belfast Telegraph to take home delivery away from newsagents in response to a dramatic sales fall. Newsagents aren’t the cause of the problem. The publisher is responsible on a range of fronts.
It is great […]

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Newsagents ought to read page 58 of the Australian Financial Review today.  The article by James Stewart is relevant to the retail newsagency offer.  This topic is close to my heart as it relates to the content of my Newsagency of the Future workshop I presented at the recent ANF Convention.  The need for reinvention […]

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Here is the final set of challenges I covered in my presentation of the Newsagency of the Future at the ANF conference yesterday.  These are not tough decisions for newsagents as such, they are challenges which suppliers need to address.  The difficult for newsagents is whether we have the will to engage with suppliers on […]

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This is the subject of presentations I am giving to the ANF Conference on the Gold Coast this morning. The problem with the title is that no one can know what the newsagency of the future will look like. I have no crystal ball. The future for newsagents is a moving feast […]

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The April 28 issue of Business Week lists the 25 Most Innovative Companies as compiled by the Boston Consulting Group. It’s a fascinating read. What stands ot from reading the article is the commercial value of investment in the business.

Apple has rocketed to #3 in the smartphone marketn because of innovation which came […]

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On the back of the BRW article last week about New age newsagents in which I was privileged to participate, I am preparing a presentation for the QNF State Conference on April 22. My topic is Becoming an Entrepreneurial Newsagent.
Newsagencies are not the businesses they used to be. They cannot be. Collectively […]

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Newspapers are doing it tougher in the US than Australia with many dropping circulation and ad revenue at alarming levels.  We’re insulated here by a cost effective (for publishers) home delivery network, a strong national retail network and the natural delay of trends hitting our shores.   That said, newsagents should read Ted Leonsis’ 10 plan […]

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I have been fortunate to spend a few days in Tasmania, taking a break and enjoying the sights. The most amazing sight in the south east region is the view on top of Mount Wellington, way above Hobart. Not the view down over Hobart but the view at the back, across territory which […]

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The news out of the UK for Borders is not good. The Telegraph and others are reporting that the whole business is for sale and not just selected parts.
A week back we learned that the A&R Whitcoulls bid had been withdrawn for the Australian and New Zealand operations of Borders.
While it would never get […]

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News is shifting from being a product — today’s newspaper, Web site or newscast — to becoming a service — how can you help me, even empower me? There is no single or finished news product anymore. As news consumption becomes continual, more new effort is put into producing incremental updates, as brief as 40-character […]

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One of the most important lessons applicable to newsagencies from our opening of the Sophie Randall stores is the importance of the retail experience. Even today, in our our first store which opened thirteen months ago, around half the customers who visit comment on how much theny enjoy shopping in the store. This […]

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Along with thousands of others I am in Sydney today for the Gift Fair. Actually, there are three fairs in three locations. I’ll be there for the day. Others from our retail businesses will spend longer.
What’s interesting about Gift Fair is how the retailers interact with suppliers. They are in a […]

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File this under sobering news item of the day: The New York Times is shedding 7.5% of its newsroom workforce. PaidContent has more. The January 15, 2005 edition of Business Week quotes Arthur Sulzberger, Publisher of the New York Times:
“Within our lifetimes, the distribution of news and information is going to shift to […]

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We have changed the fixturing we use to display gifts at our newsXpress Watergardens location, drawing on learnings from our Sophie Randall business. The table in the photo below, buried by part of our plush range, offers multiple level and angles for displaying stock in an easily accessible form.

Beyond efficiently displaying gist related stock, the […]

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Completely off topic, I love the look of this shop at Forest Hill Chase. See for yourself:

From the outset it is visually appealing to its target market. Girls light up when they see it. Shopping looks like fun, certainly not a chore.
In newsagencies we tend to focus on shopping being a chore. […]

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