Foreign language newspapers are sold alone in newsagencies more often than other newspapers.
Data from over 100 newsagents and representing several million shopping baskets from this year shows that on average 85% of foreign language newspapers are sold with nothing else in the sale. The percentage for city newsagents is higher than for rural newsagents.
This represents seriously inefficient business for the newsagent.
Newsagencies are run on the basis of multiple items per sale. It is only in sales where this is achieved that the low and fixed gross profit from small ticket item sales is palatable.
Foreign language newspapers take up more floor and shelf space that mainstream daily newspapers which only adds to the challenged circumstances of their life in newsagencies.
While one could and should say that newsagents have an opportunity to entice, pursue and extract add on sales from foreign language newspaper customers, I can say from personal experience that it is easier said than done. Not many of these customers like to engage with staff. We have tried promoting products and services tailored to what we feel might interest them and while some do take up the offer, the vast majority don’t so we don’t get in their way.