A blog on issues affecting Australia's newsagents, media and small business generally. More ...

The future of the Australian newsagency relies on newsagents being retailers and not agents

While the Aussie newsagency channel was created in the 1800s to be agents of media outlets, today, in 2025, newsagents with growing businesses are achieving this by being retailers. There is no growth in agency business. There is a ton of growth in retail.

Given the diversity among the 2,800 newsagency businesses in the channel, it is impossible to guide a course that fits all.

The future of your newsagency business is entirely dependent on you. I appreciate that to some who bought their business because they wanted to be an agent offering easy to manage services or because they did not see themselves as a retailer this may seem daunting. Don’t be put off. I have seen plenty transition their businesses from agency-focussed to retail-focussed on the back of minimal retail skills.

If sales in your newsagency are flat or declining, you need to act for if you don’t act, one day in the future you will see closing as the only option.


The future success of Australian newsagencies hinges on three critical areas: product selection, business narrative, and sales approach.

The traditional model, reliant on newspapers, magazines, lotteries, convenience items, tobacco, and discount variety products, is no longer viable. Similarly, suppliers, particularly print media businesses, offer little support for the channel’s future.

Instead, newsagents must embrace a shift towards premium and unique offerings, prioritizing value over low price points and strategically managing margins. The principle of “find a need and fill it” is crucial for evolving local businesses.

I see there key pillars for success, there are others, these three are the key:

Products

Focus on products uncommon to the newsagency channel. This includes items such as:

  • Clothing
  • High-value gifts (e.g., $300 and above)
  • Non-remainder books
  • Cookware
  • Collectibles that draw customers from a distance
  • Toys – not crap but higher end, good brands.

Your list could vary depending on location and interest. For example: pets, outdoors, haberdashery. There is no limit here.

You are looking for products not currently supplied through traditional newsagency channels. While everyday items like stationery and greeting cards will remain, their success depends on smart curation and pricing to manage inventory burden. For example, selling stationery to passionate enthusiasts offers a greater opportunity than simply catering to basic needs. The scope of what you can sell is limited only by your imagination.

Narrative

Develop a compelling business story that explains the “why” of your business. This narrative, nurtured through product selection, in-store merchandising, social media presence, website content, and your personal engagement, builds trust with customers. An evolving narrative, adapting to you, the times, and your community, is essential. In today’s immersive retail environment, a strong narrative transforms a simple product into a desirable experience.

How You Sell

The ability to sell online is paramount. Without an online presence, businesses lack crucial insights into market dynamics and customer behavior. The future of the Australian newsagency is about individual businesses becoming smart, engaged, and creative. This will lead to a diverse, rather than cohesive, channel where each newsagency strives for local and online success.

…

For newsagents unwilling to embrace change, the traditional model is unsustainable, leading to a reduction in the number of newsagency locations. However, for those ready to adapt, support is available within the channel to ensure the relevance and success of these vital local retail businesses. While the name of the shop is less important than its perceived identity, a locally relevant name is what I recommended. The future is not a single, clear prediction, but rather a collective effort of individual businesses innovating and adapting.

Change starts with you, with your decision to change your business, cliché as that sounds. Often when working with newsagents who have decided to change I have found a good place to start is by decluttering. Get rid of anything in the shop that you don’t use, don’t need or that does not add value to the business. Take a look at your stock, especially what you have not sold any of for at least six months. Why keep it?

Start by decluttering and while you’re doing this start to think about what you want the business to stand for, to be known for. A good second step to help you get focussed on change is to take every magazine off current fixtures, clean the fixtures, and place magazine back – but with careful consideration as to where to place each title. Create a magazine display that makes sense. Typically, this single action of relaying your magazines will boost sales by up to 10%. A goof third step to take is to take everything off the counter and then rebuild with products you think people will buy on impulse.

These three physical steps of decluttering, a magazine relay and a counter rebuild are good starting points to help focus your attention. In the overall process of redefining and rebuilding your business they are small steps yet vital.

Your current business data will provide insights as to moves you could make. Greeting card sales by caption along with magazine sales by category can wonderful inform of opportunities.

If I can help, please reach out: 0418 321 338 or mark@newsxpress.com.au.

…

Footnote: There will be some who say the shingle should change, that news is not relevant. While it’s not relevant, what you call the shop does not matter all that much. It’s kind of like a picture versus a thousand words. What a shop shows itself as being matters more than what a shop calls itself. That said, Aussie newsagencies, being quintessentially local businesses are, in my opinions best off being called a name that is locally relevant – rather than some national name that is not locally relevant.

Second footnote: Reading back what I have written I know I have not made a clear and solid prediction. That’s because I can’t. There is no channel, no way to determine what all businesses in the channel will do.

…
My name is Mark Fletcher. I own newsXpress – a marketing group helping local newsagents thrive. I also founded Tower Systems, makers of the industry standard software for newsagents. I sold Tower in November 2024, and still work with the company today. You can reach me on 0418 321 338 or mark@newsxpress.com.au. 

16 likes
Management tip

A second set of eyes can be revealing for retailers

I have been playing with AI for years, both in our Tower Systems newsagency software and outside, using AI to analyse insights curated by the software.

AI offers and edge.  What if you could get an expert-level analysis of your business performance, for free, in just a few minutes? I’ve found that thanks to AI.

In this short video I walk you through how I used a free AI tool, Google Gemini, to analyse my own sales reports and get actionable insights to grow my business. It’s a process I’ve found incredibly valuable.

The process is simple. All you need is a sales report, like the Monthly Sales Comparison Report I use.

In the video, I show how I use Google Gemini to analyse a monthly sales comparison report. Here’s a breakdown of the steps I take:

  1. Upload the Report: I upload my sales report into Gogle Gemini.
  2. Get an Overview: I start by asking a broad question like, “What do you think?” to get a general analysis of the sales data. As I show in the video, Gemini provides an overview of sales and highlights notable details from different departments.
  3. Ask for Improvement Suggestions: Next, I ask for specific advice with a question like, “How can I improve this business?” Gemini then identifies declining categories and suggests concrete action items.
  4. Prioritise Your Actions: To get a clear focus, I then ask, “What is one thing I could do?” This prompts Gemini to provide a specific, high-impact recommendation that I can implement right away.

I’ve found that using an AI tool like Gemini is like having a “second set of eyes” on my business. It helps me spot trends I might have missed and provides a fresh perspective on my performance. The best part? This powerful analysis can be done quickly and easily, at no cost. The version of Gemini I used in the demonstration is freely accessible.

What you do with the insights is up to you.

Within the Tower newsagency software there are awesome AI tools available:

  1. Generate product names to maximise search opportunities.
  2. Generate meaningful and SEO ready product descriptions to maximise search opportunities.
  3. Easily load PDF invoices from any supplier, converting them to an import ready electronic invoice.
  4. Price compare locally, outside the business, to reveal better profit and competition opportunities.
  5. Generate publishing ready blog posts for products managed by the POS software, and publishing these blog posts for you if you wish.

These facilities exist today, and this list of five are only some of the AI POS software capabilities we offer our customers. You can use these, or use an external AI oil like I cover in the video. It’s easy.

11 likes
Newsagency management

New award rates and superannuation percentage

It’s July 1, 2025 and the new award rate is no in force.

There is no excuse for employers missing this or the increase to the percentage of pay employers must contribute to superannuation to 12%.

The Fair Work Ombudsman has all the details at their website.

Now is a good time to check on other aspects of the award and your engagement with it such as employee classifications. Ensure your people are classified correctly. Also, if you require staff to wear a uniform, this is to be provided at your cost and there is a requirement for a weekly cost re cleaning of the uniform. It’s all there in the award.

If you are an employee and you feel you may not be being paid correctly, ask your employer. If you are unhappy with the response and consider you are being underpaid, click this link to get to advice from the Fair Work Ombudsman.

If you are an employee and you think the superannuation contributions from your employer are incorrect and you have been unable to resolve this, click here to go straight to the ATO website for their recommended action.

It’s never easy to talk about pay, for everyone involved. No matter how you approach it, the matter comes down to the facts. That’s the best place to start. If it’s an award discussion, start with the facts in the award. The Retail Award is straightforward. Print it, mark it upon, speak to it when raising any concern.

To employers who under rate employees via a lower than appropriate classification, look at the difference. Between 3 and 5, for example, it’s $2 an hour. A good employee with the right support from the business can easily cover this difference. The key to this is them understanding the needs of the business and how their actions can serve these while serving their own personal needs.

I have seen too many employees let underpayment slide in the hope it will be resolved. This is a mistake. If it’s wrong and it is not addressed, report it.

Whether we like it or not, all newsagents are bundled together in the collective Australian mind. If one underpays staff, does not pay penalty rates or fails to pay superannuation correctly, we are all judged to behave similarly. This is why I think if any of us is aware another is deliberately misbehaving, we should report them.

11 likes
Ethics

Administrators appointed to XL Express Group

Plenty of newsagents would know of XL Express Group. Administrators were appointed to the business late last week. Several suppliers to our channel have been impacted, including John Sands. Sky News has a bit of detail, but not much.

FTI Consulting also noted that alternative arrangements will be made for XL Express customers who are impacted by the company entering voluntary administration.

“Where services are unable to be fulfilled, arrangements are being made for customers to collect their goods held in XL Express Group distribution centres,” it said.

It remains unclear what led to XL Express falling into administration.

John Sands has said that they have made other arrangements and have been able to get Father’s Day stock back.

0 likes
Newsagency management

This new partwork will be a hit: Racing Bikes The Collection

I’ve seen the first issue of  the new part series Racing Bikes The Collection and am confident this will be a hit. It’s a good product that targets a marketplace we already serve in our channel. This is a newsagency channel exclusive.

The launch issue, our July 7, contains the Mick Doohan Honda NSR 500 and the series will feature Australia’s greatest bikes and riders.

This new release is from the same publisher who launched “Aus Cars the Collection” last year that has generated over $6.2m in revenue at the newsagency channel in less than a year and is the 2nd largest revenue driving print product Are Direct distributes.

Allocations have been based on Aus Cars and other male collections and there is a good number of extra copies if local demand is higher than our forecast.

A heavyweight nationwide TV campaign as attached will commence from Wed 9th July that will feature at the end frame “At newsagents now”. here is an early look at the TVC.

The fortnightly series will include a replica motorbike from the Moto GP and Superbike Championships, including Aussie icons bikes, along with an accompanying magazine with detailed information.

My recommendation is: get behind this, leverage the TV commercial. Place the new title near the counter, talk about it on your social media, get customers connecting for a regular putaway use your newsagency software to manage this as customers love to see their name on a cutaway label.

I know there will be some who will feel like bagging this new part series – move on, this. post is not for you.

It’s a newsagency channel exclusive, backed by a TV campaign. The opportunity for the channel is terrific.

12 likes
magazines

How does an Australian newsagency business stay competitive in an increasingly digital world?

How does an Australian newsagency business stay competitive in an increasingly digital world? Diversify. Yes, it is as simple as that.

Play away from being a newsagent or a newsagency business. Don’t let what your shop is called define what you sell.

Sell what your customers want, love and will buy. Oh, and when you consider your customers, think beyond locals, think about anyone you can reach, anywhere, in the next town, in your country, overseas.

The world is your oyster is the cliché, and it is true today in retail, in newsagency retail. there are newsagents successfully selling overseas and plenty selling interstate within Australia. there are some selling products you’d never think of as supplied through a newsagency and others selling traditional newsagency products online to shoppers far away.

Today, in June 2025, the successful newsagents are those that diversified years ago and are now well established playing at not being a traditional newsagency business even though their shingle may mention news.

What, how and when we sell in our newsagency businesses has no boundaries. The boundaries shoppers have as to what a local newsagency sells is their boundary to navigate, not ours.

People still buy newspapers and magazines, in smaller numbers though. Whereas decades ago newspapers and magazines brought people to newsagency businesses, they were destination products, today more people purchase these print media products as the add on.

The question, How does an Australian newsagency business stay competitive in an increasingly digital world?, is interesting as it presumes that today digital has taken over. It hasn’t. There is a trend to paper and pen use in some demographics and smart newsagents leaning into these trends are doing well, growing stationery sales. Greeting card sales are good too in newsagencies that have good cards, locally made cards, cards that speak to occasions relevant in 2025.

Now, if you are a newsagent and wondering about categories outside what has been traditional for newsagents that you could explore, here’s a short list from me, based on my experience with hundreds of newsagents:

  • Coffee.
  • Handbags.
  • Clothing.
  • Jewellery.
  • Haberdashery.
  • Footwear.
  • Bikes.
  • Petfood.
  • Homewares.

This is not a complete list. Each of the product categories I have listed are being sold in newsagencies I know of. My point here is to demonstrate how far away from the expectations of others for what a newsagency can sell the reality for some is.

How does an Australian newsagency business stay competitive in an increasingly digital world? It diversifies and does this following the core focus of any successful business: find a need and fill it.

…

My name is Mark Fletcher. I own newsXpress – a marketing group helping local newsagents thrive. I also founded Tower Systems, makers of the industry standard software for newsagents. I sold Tower in November 2024, and still work with the company today. You can reach me on 0418 321 338 or mark@newsxpress.com.au.

19 likes
newsagency of the future

What is a newsagency?

What is a newsagency? is an interesting question. The answer in 2025 is different to the answer you may have seen a year or two ago.

Today, in 2025, a newsagency, newsagent or newsstand as some may call it, is what it needs to be for its local and online shopper communities.

The ideal newsagency today will offer a diverse range of gifts, practical stationery as well as stationery for stationery lovers and collectors, greeting cards, magazines, newspapers, lottery product (but more and more don’t sell lotteries), books, homewares, collectible products and pop culture products.

Back in the day, the local newsagent controlled the sale and distribution of newspapers and magazines in a town or region. That exclusive territory was ripped from newsagents without compensation in the late 1990s. Some newsagents are still grappling with the loss of their local monopoly today.

Losing the monopoly was embraced by plenty as they evolved their business. Plenty of newsagents moved into coffee and have done very well. others have opened bookshops in their newsagency, and done well. Some have gone deep into homewares, including furniture, and done well. Some have become firearms dealers while some have moved into garden related products.

You see, the answer to What is a newsagency? is broad, and very much dependent on the local newsagent.

As of today, June 2025, Australia has around 2,800 newsagency businesses, with each different to the others. While most still trade with the newsagency name, the majority do not look and feel like a newsagency inside, and this is a good thing.

Retail has changed, how people consume news has changed. Smart newsagents have adapted and found business relevance in new areas both in-store and online. Indeed it is online that has helped newsagents diverse more and through that to find new shoppers who might never shop a newsagency.

While some in Australia mourn the passing of the newsagency they knew as kids, from a practical business sense that old-style business is gone forever because it would not be viable today.

A typical newsagency back in the 1980s and 1990s would have seen 30% of their revenue come from print media, 30% from greeting cards, 20% from stationery and the rest from a mix of products (with lotteries not counted in this breakdown). Today, in June 2025, a typical newsagency would see no more than 20% of their revenue come from print media, 25% from greeting cards, 20% from stationery (including higher end and niche stationery), 25% from gifts and related and the rest from specialty products. A newsagency with coffee though would often find up to 50% of their revenue from coffee.

This underscores the differences between newsagencies and speaks to the complexity of answering the question of What is a newsagency?

Online really is playing a big role in the evolution of the Australian newsagency channel. For newsagents engaged online they are reaching shoppers who will never set foot in their shop and they are often doing this products they have never sold in their shop. The online experience is informing change in-store.

One newsagent decided to run a high end pet related business form the back office of the newsagency. As it grew, they decided to try the pet products in the shop and were surprised to see how well they went. They would not have made this move had it not been for the online experience.

The key to success for newsagents today is adaptability – the willingness to lean into change, indeed – to seek change out and explore how far their newsagency business could move into new territory.

The more we turn our back on the constraints of the monopoly years and play according to opportunities we see outside of the traditional, the more we will see local Australian newsagents thrive.

So, What is a newsagency? it’s a locally owned and run business serving needs that are local and afar and doing so in a way that people love and from which the stakeholders in the business benefit. A newsagency is a good local business, a thriving local business.

If you own a newsagency and would like help navigating change, I can be reached on 0418 321 338 or at mark@newsxpress.com.au.

24 likes
Newsagency management

People are driving hours for change

We had people in the newsagency yesterday who had driven more than two hours to get some of these $2 coins in their change.

The are avid coin collectors and knew the only place they could get the $2 coins in their change is a newsXpress store. They bought some things and were thrilled to get some of these coins in their change.

One million of these coins are being circulated through newsXpress registers as people collect the new coloured coin. The coloured coin released from the Royal Australian Mint are their most popular coin releases each year. It is a privilege I’m grateful for that newsXpress shops are the distribution point for these coins.

The coin program was not mandatory for newsXpress members. Those who did not order have been frustrated by the many shoppers who visited seeking these coins. It’s a lesson learned.

This release reinforces interest in physical currency as well as the relevance of our fleet of shops across regional and rural Australia in serving a national release like this.

The public interest has been phenomenal because of the beloved licence and the extraordinary media coverage, which has included:

  • Thursday 12 June – Ch 7 Sunrise weather crosses with Sam Mac (6.10am, 6.35am, 7.10am, 7.35am, 8.10am and 8.35am)
  • Thursday 12 June – Ch 7 The Morning Show in studio interview with Sophie Tedmanson and Emily Martin
  • Thursday 12 June – Ch 7 News, The Bright Side segment with Grace Fitzgibbons
  • Thursday 12 June – ABC TV news interview
  • Thursday 12 June – Sunrise cooking segment with Julie Goodwin
  • Friday 13 June – Today Extra cooking segment with Fran Abdallaoui
  • Wednesday 12 June – 4BC Brisbane interview with Pamela Clarke and Sofie Formica
  • Friday 13 June –  The Daily Telegraph, Pg 7 news story
  • Friday 13 June – Courier Mail QLD,  Pg 10 news story

This is less than half the coverage in mainstream media. On top of this there has been excellent influencer coverage, all driving foot traffic for newsXpress shops.

Coin customers are loyal. A typical collector will spend around $1,000 a year on their collection. They will also buy other items, cards, stationery, magazines, while shopping. Many will travel hours to get to the shop they love, the shop they know will offer what they want.

I appreciate there are some in our channel who talk down coins as a category for Aussie newsagencies. To these doubters I’d say talk to the newsXpress members who engaged with the opportunity. Some of them may speak to the thousands of dollars in gross profit they have banked and the terrific add-on sales achieved.

This program has been good news for the Aussie newsagency channel and I am so grateful to have been part of it.

Oh, and on the $2 coin. If you get one in change, you can sell it for three and four times the price – it’s already that valuable.

8 likes
newsagency of the future

Bitter rivalry in a small town drives over the counter newspaper sales down

A newsagent is a small town handed back their newspaper delivery run after decades of operation. It had been loss making for many years and the publisher offered no pathway to profitability.

The publisher appointed a new ‘distributor’ a local small business owner who was a sub-agent previously. There is history between the newsagent and their former sub-agent.

Today, more than a year after the change, the newsagent receives their newspapers last in the delivery cycle, long after they are open and long after the sub-agent nearest them receives their newspapers. It would take 60 second or less for the delivery agent to drop onn  product at the very close by newsagency.

The newsagent, as you’d expect, is losing sales.

The publisher is unable, unwilling or both to resolve the issue in service of customers of the newsagency.

This is a petty dispute with some involved engaging in childish behaviour with little consideration of newspaper customers and basic commercial principles.

Everyone involved needs to grow up.

15 likes
Ugh!

A big shout out to newsXpress newsagents on the Morning Show in Seven this week

4 likes
Basket building

Toys are a growth category for engaged newsagents and here’s why

The detailed April toy sales data are in and it was an awesome month for toy sales in indie retail in Austral;ia.

April 2025 experienced +7% in toy sales dollars, +1% in units. +6% in average price.

Games/Puzzles (+54%) was the top category gainer for this month, followed by Buildings Sets (+15%), Action Figures (+19%), Bicycles (+33%), Outdoor and Sports Toys (+3%), Plush (+1%) and Youth Electronics (+1%).

Jigsaw puzzles are having a moment again. I know of newsagents selling $2,000 in jigsaws a month without any marketing and discounting.

Dolls (-9%), Arts & Crafts (-10%) and Explorative and Other Toys (-8%) were the 3 largest category decliners for this month.

For YTD April 2025 vs. LY, Australia Toys was up +4% in dollars meanwhile globally toys market was up (+6%).

Top 5 Dollar licenced properties April ‘25

#1 – Pokémon#2 – Formula 1#3 – Hot Wheels

#4 – Star Wars

#5 – Barbie

Top 5 Dollar Gaining Properties April ’25 vs. April ’24

#1 – Formula 1

#2 – Pokémon

#3 – Minecraft

#4 – LEGO Speed Champions

#5 – Toniebox

This is all good news for newsagents engaged with toys beyond the cheap toy spinners offered on consignment – that end of the market is in decline. The growth is in good licences, higher end product and a toy department kids are welcome in.

Consignment spinners have no place in a modern newsagency in my view.

There are newsagency businesses doing well over $100,000 a year in toys. Anyone can do this. All it takes is for you to be a smart retailer.

Here are some reasons for toy growth:

  • Parents are becoming more proactive in seeking toys that promote learning through play. Science kits, robotics, coding games, and building sets (like LEGO and Connetix) are in high demand, aligning with Australia’s education system which encourages problem-solving and critical thinking.
  • Toys based on popular entertainment franchises, movies, TV shows, and video games continue to be a major sales driver. Properties like Pokémon, Formula 1, Hot Wheels, Star Wars, and Barbie consistently perform well, demonstrating the power of strong brand recognition.
  • A growing segment of adults purchasing toys for themselves, often driven by nostalgia, collecting, or hobby interests, is also contributing to market expansion. This “kidult” market often has higher disposable income and is drawn to limited editions and high-value items.
  • There’s a rising demand for toys made from eco-friendly and ethically sourced materials, reflecting a broader societal trend towards responsible consumption. Manufacturers are responding by incorporating sustainable materials like bamboo and organic cotton.
  • Sales data reveal that Australian families are willing to invest in higher-quality, more expensive toys, especially those that offer long-term play value, educational benefits, or align with aspirational parenting goals.

Tap into these and you’ll win.

6 likes
Newsagency opportunities

Significant price increase for McPherson Group newspapers

Wow, the prices rise announced by the McPherson Media Group for its newspapers are considerable. These take effect from June 30.

It will be interesting to see if this 25% increase impacts unit sales.

On the 25% increase: while each cost point of print newspaper production has increased, I suspect it’s the physical distribution cost that has gone up the most. certainly this is what we are seeing elsewhere in retail – the cost of physically moving products is much higher today than a year ago.

6 likes
Newspapers

Huge interest in the Australian Women’s Weekly Birthday Cake Book coins

While the June 12 release date is a few days away, already the interest in and hype around the release of the Australian Women’s Weekly Birthday Cake Book coins is huge. Calls, emails and texts are coming in at a fast rate to all newsXpress stores.

This interest is in part due to the excellent media coverage in Are Media titles (Better Homes and Gardens, New Idea, That’s Life, Who, Australian Women’s Weekly) as well as TV on a number of shows, radio on a number of shows too as well as other media outlets (Delicious for example..

The story on A Current Affair over the weekend about the Australian Women’s Weekly Birthday Cake Book itself has fuelled more interest too.

There is no doubt that all the media coverage is driving interest in the Australian Women’s Weekly Birthday Cake Book, other cookbooks and the soon to be released coins.

The behind the scenes logistics for this release have been considerable. For my own business we have our main website, www.mintcoinshop.com.au, having been re-designed. We are taking it offline for all of tomorrow to stress test it ready for the 6am Thursday launch. Then there is the logistics challenge of getting inventory to 100+ shops across Australia as well as in-store collateral and product training.

The data link between the Tower newsagency software and the websites being operated by newsXpress members will be key to capturing online sales. This will help these newsXpress stores reach beyond their usual local shoppers.

This is all being done under the requirements of the Royal Australian Mint and in consideration of the product licence holders, Are Media. There are people people involved, many requirements to meet.

I can’t recall there being anything like this in the history of our channel. It will deliver many new customers for newsXpress members.

There are some who have questioned why newsXpress got this and not other groups. It was newsXpress that cultivated the relationship with the Mint many years ago, showing what a small and tight group in our channel could achieve in terms of their mission to reach more Australians. In the years since, mutual respect has grown to the point where we are now the exclusive retailer for their most significant release of the year.

Starting June 12, newsXpress stores across Australia will demonstrate to many what collaboration can deliver. The benefits beyond the coin products themselves will be felt by the businesses for ages to come. This is a wonderful moment for these local newsXpress businesses and for our channel.

If you have people asking where they can get the coins, click here for a full list of stockists.

11 likes
newsagency of the future

Navigating award wage increases: smart strategies for local retailers including newsagents

Recent news flowing from the 3.5% increase to award wages has highlighted the concerns of some retailers.  There has been news flowing from the Fair Work Commission’s 3.5% increase in award wages. It’s understandable that any cost increase can be unsettling, particularly for businesses operating on tight margins or at a break-even point.

We can either complain or act. It’s only by acting that we can work on our own businesses. While complaining may make us feel good, it achieves nothing, and it can have us looking at the matter selfishly when, in fact, we benefit from those on award wages having more money in their pocket to spend.

Many businesses operate under lease agreements that stipulate annual increases exceeding this wage adjustment. Why accept one guaranteed annual cost increase without complaint, yet complain over another that is often lower and less predictable?

In retail, people are an invaluable asset. A 3.5% wage increase in our current economy can be seen as a modest adjustment for such a vital component of any successful retail operation. For many local newsagencies, the direct impact of this increase on labour costs is likely to be under $100.

Instead of focusing on the challenge, let’s explore proactive strategies to not only absorb this cost but also enhance your business’s overall profitability. This isn’t about “poor me” – it’s about smart, adaptive retailing.

Here are some actionable ideas to consider:

  • Rethink your pricing strategy: Embrace the value of local convenience. For categories like stationery, consider a mark-up of at least 110%. While many newsagents currently apply a 100% mark-up, a slight increase to 120% is unlikely to deter sales and will significantly boost your margins.
  • Maximise counter sales: Strategically place high-margin, easy-to-purchase impulse items at your sales counter. Focus on products not readily available in convenience stores or supermarkets. As a fun and engaging touch, feature two of your funniest greeting cards, rotating them weekly to keep things fresh.
  • Optimise your shop layout: Dedicate the front three metres of your store to products with strong profit margins. Minimise the presence of low-margin (under 50% gross profit) items in this prime retail space.
  • Curate an engaging window display: Your front window is a powerful marketing tool. Make it “awesome” and unique every single week to capture attention and draw new customers in.
  • Explore new product categories: Think outside the box! Can you introduce a product category that feels unexpected for your shop but has the potential to attract a new customer base? Innovation can lead to exciting discoveries.
  • Drive productivity gains: Foster an environment that encourages productivity from everyone in the business, including yourself. Small efficiencies can add up to significant savings and increased output.
  • Leverage your card department: Your greeting card section can be a hidden gem. By analysing your own sales data and working strategically with your card supplier, you can identify opportunities for easy wins. I’ve seen businesses boost card revenue by as much as 20% through targeted actions in this area.

This isn’t rocket science. In every retail business, there are straightforward adjustments that can generate that extra $100 or more. It simply requires a bit of focused time and attention.

I am confident that a review of any newsagency business could find the funds needed to cover the additional labour cost.

While it’s easy to express dissatisfaction, energy is better spent on proactive solutions. Prices naturally fluctuate, and rather than being surprised, local small business retailers have an opportunity to engage with these changes in a smarter, more strategic way.

10 likes
Newsagency management

There is a huge difference in newsagency software

There is a huge difference in newsagency software solutions. So much has changed in terms of technology and so much has changed in terms of the needs of newsagency businesses and the suppliers with which they connect.

  • AI use among newsagencies is bigger than ever. I am personally using this in my own newsagency every day. It’s a true game-changer.
  • Direct supplier connections are more abundant than ever.
  • Newsagents using tech to transform their businesses is more widely the experience than ever. I’m yet to find a supplier invoice PDF that I can’t import in seconds. This is saving so much time.
  • Newsagents selling online more so than ever before. I know of newsagents doing $400,000 a year online and more through  a Shopify website direct connected to their in-store newsagency software.
  • Reduced accounting and other overheads thanks to direct integrations.

These are some of the advances in newsagency software, advances that typically save many times the cost of the software to the business.

AI is the big news though. I can’t imagine using newsagency software that does not have embedded AI tools. The changed everyday are that considertable.

The extent of change in newsagency software and the benefits delivered is reflected in newsagency choices. Tower Systems dominates the marketplace now with more than 1,800 newsagent customers.

Newsagency software today looks nothing like just a few years ago. It does more, delivers more tangible benefits.

Now if all this reads like a pitch for Tower Systems, it is. I sold Tower Systems last year. I am writing this today as a newsagent using the Tower Systems newsagency software in my newsagency – a business run under management successfully.

Modern newsagency software has moved beyond transaction processing to become a truly transformative force. That’s what I am experiencing.

The integration of AI, the seamless handling of supplier invoices, robust e-commerce capabilities, and direct accounting integrations collectively streamline operations and significantly reduce overheads.

This technological evolution saves substantial time and money. Best of all, it empowers newsagents to embrace new revenue streams and efficiencies, fundamentally reshaping how they operate and thrive in today’s dynamic retail landscape.

Take a look at your newsagency software and make sure it is delivering for you what you want / need in a rapidly changing marketplace.

4 likes
newsagency of the future

ALNA workshop on using AI in your business

I am grateful to ALNA for the opportunity to talk with more newsagents about using Artificial Intelligence in retail businesses. Here are the details for the session announced by ALNA:

Business Boost Live Webinar: Using AI in Your Small Business

Wednesday 18 June 2025 at 12:00pm (AEST)

Join ALNA CEO Ben Kearney and special guests Mark Fletcher and Gavin Williams from Tower Systems, as they discuss how AI innovations can drive operational efficiency in the rapidly changing retail scene.

Register Now!

6 likes
newsagent software

Farewell Ron Thorpe

Ron Thorpe worked for Hallmark Australia for forty years. For much of that time he was the face and personality of Hallmark Australia during years when the company understood the importance of this.

Ron understood newsagents, he understood small business, he understood local. He helped plenty. He also helped the Hallmark, back then, understand the value of our channel to the company.

Ron was a terrific networker, and an engaging storyteller. We was an epic travel planner, hosting plenty of retail study tours to the US through Hallmark. These are trips on which long lasting friendships were made and valuable business insights were gained.

His departure from Hallmark left a big hole that the company has struggled to fill. I am grateful for his time working with newsXpress, contributing in so many ways to the development of the group. He serves our member newsagents well and was a wonderful host of conferences.

While in recent years Ron has not been as involved with newsagents as he once was, his advice and support was not lost to those grateful to have been influenced by him.

Ron passed away last week.

This photo is from October 2009, when Ron was MC of the newsXpress national conference at the Hyatt in Melbourne. He was fun, and inspiring.

Our Aussie newsagency channel could use more Ron Thorpes: people in big business suppliers who understand and support local small business retailers and who bring two sides together.

Go well Ron.

37 likes
Social responsibility

Strong results for newsagents in first four months of 2025

I have completed an analysis of performance of retail newsagency businesses for January through April 2025 compared to the same period in 2024 as the next step in the newsagency performance study I’ve been doing for twenty years now.

The difference in performance of traditional and transformed newsagencies is as stark as ever. Transformed newsagencies are growing while traditional newsagencies are not. Newsagents choose their own path, they are responsible for the performance of their business.

Diversification is key to success in 2025 for newsagents, diversification far beyond what has been traditional for Australian newsagents. Let’s dive into the data/

Key data point indicators for Aussie newsagents:

Metric Traditional Transformed
Revenue Down 4% Up 3%
Transaction Count Down 5% Down 2%
Average Basket Value Down 2% Up 10%
Gift Revenue Down 3% Up 9%
Greeting Card Revenue Down 4% Up 4%
Stationery Revenue Down 4% Up 3%
Counter Impulse Sales Down 12% Up 8%
Online Revenue $0 Typically $75,000+ annually
Magazine Unit Sales Down 13% Down 8%
Newspaper Unit Sales Down 13% Down 9%

.

Online is a strong result for many now. I know of several newsagents doing more than $400,000 a year in online sales. I know of many foind more than $50,000 a year in online sales – often without any additional labour, inventory or marketing spend. Those weakest at online are those that have put their existing business online without thought as to differentiation.

I want to pause here for a moment and go back to the $400,000 in online sales comment. It’s real, hard as that will be to believe for many in the channel. I have seen the data.Can anyone do this? For sure. You don’t need much capital. What you do need is a sense of adventure, a preparedness to go down a path unfamiliar.

Taking a closer look at stationery, traditional is performing okay while niche and specialty stationery is performing very well. Newsagents offering access to hard to get loved stationery are performing particularly well as are those leaning into trends evident on platforms like TikTok.

There is no doubt that embracing emerging trends is hard work. It takes research, often in places new to you. There is good money to be made in this. Speaking personally, I find TikTok to be a terrific source of commercially valuable trend insights that I don’t get elsewhere.

Data.

Data is key to the success of those enjoying it. Equally, data is key to the failure of those experiencing that. By data I mean the business records you capture and cultivate in your newsagency software. Some see their newsagency software as a burdensome tool they must have in their newsagency. Smart newsagents enjoying growth use their newsagency software as a tool for nurturing growth in sales and profitability.

Your newsagency software and the data it cultivates work best when leveraged as assets rather than chores.

Cards.

Looking at the card department, it remains for me the department in any newsagency that can deliver growth Achieving this requires you to manage it yourself, actively. Your attention can deliver easy and early gains for the business.

If I can help you assess your business performance and / or transform your newsagency, please reach out direct.

What is the future of the Australian newsagency?

I think the future of the Australian newsagency is bright as long as there are newsagents embracing transformation in their shops. The thing is though – the newsagency channel as such doesn’t exist as it used to, and this is a good thing. Today, we’re 2,500 (or thereabouts) shops that used to be all very similar but today and only loosely connected.

 

Mark Fletcher
M | 0418 321 338
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-fletcher-tower/

17 likes
Newsagency management

Queensland to act on illegal tobacco and vape traders and their landlords

This is good news to see our of Queensland:

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services
The Honourable Tim Nicholls

Illegal tobacco and vape traders and their landlords face jail under proposed laws

  • Landlords who knowingly lease their premises to illicit tobacco and vape traders will face hefty fines and possible jail time under proposed laws.  
  • Proposals include increasing interim closure orders from 72-hours to three months, undercover health operations, and the seizure of legal smoking products if found at the same place as illicit products. 
  • The proposed changes are the toughest in the nation and are open for public consultation until 19 June 2025. 

The Crisafulli Government is stepping up its war against illicit tobacco and vape retailers and is going after the landlords who knowingly lease a premises to them.

Under proposed new laws – which would be the toughest in the nation – landlords who are complicit or turn a blind eye to illegal activity will face one year imprisonment, a $161,300 fine, or both.

The Tobacco and Other Smoking Products and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 proposes a suite of reforms to tackle the scourge of illicit tobacco and vapes in Queensland.

The most significant reforms in the Bill will:

  • extend ‘interim’ closure periods for non-compliant businesses from 72-hours to three months;
  • give lessors the right to terminate a lease if their tenant has triggered a closure order through illegal activity;
  • introduce a new offence for lessors who knowingly allow their premises to be used for the supply and commercial possession of illicit tobacco and vapes;
  • allow undercover operations to support Queensland Health’s covert investigations; and
  • include a new power to seize and destroy all legal smoking products that have been ‘compromised’ by being sold alongside illicit tobacco and vapes.

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said illegal traders and their landlords were being put on notice.

“Labor allowed illegal chop shops to pop up across our state but the Crisafulli Government has zero tolerance for traders of illicit tobacco and vapes,” Minister Nicholls said.

“Under these proposed laws, illegal traders will face the toughest laws in the nation.

“We’re also targeting landlords who are complicit in, or turn a blind eye on, illegal activity occurring in their premises.

“We will empower landlords with a statutory right to terminate a lease if their tenant has triggered a closure order through illegal activity.

“Any landlords who don’t use this termination right to kick out their dodgy tenants will be considered complicit and will face hefty fines and possible jail time.”

Minister Nicholls said these proposed laws follow ‘Operational Appaloosa’ – the nation’s largest-ever seizure of illicit tobacco and vapes in a single operation led by a health authority in Australia.

“Despite all our recent progress, the illegal trade remains deeply entrenched,” Minister Nicholls said.

“This is because the profits simply outweigh risk of enforcement and the current laws limit enforcement responsiveness by being too onerous or relying on prosecution through the courts.

“These new laws, released for public consultation today, will help fix this.”

In March 2025, Operation Appaloosa raided more than 30 locations and seized more than 76,000 vapes, 19 million illicit cigarettes and 3.6 tonnes of loose illicit tobacco with a combined estimated street value of $20.8 million.

On 3 April 2025, the nation’s toughest on-the-spot fines for the sale of illicit tobacco and vapes came into effect, leading to $5,094,560 in fines the first week alone compared to less than $250,000 in fines per week under Labor.

Consultation on the Tobacco and Other Smoking Products and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 is open until 20 June 2025.

ENDS 

Now if only The Lottery Corporation was similarly engaged.

6 likes
Lotteries
Trending Articles

Fairfax changes approach to TV Guide, disrespects newsagents

Published on April 20, 2011

What do you think of the Powerball changes?

Published on February 16, 2018

IPS releases new magazine contracts

Published on June 21, 2011