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.
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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.
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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.
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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.