Big W at Mittagong in New South Wales is a concept store for the group, a place where they experiment with and refine ideas before rolling them out nationally. At Big W Mittagong you will see a professional and broad stationery offer dominated by national brands – essential for unlocking money from the brands for fixtures, rebates and marketing funds. There is also a compelling greeting card offer, well signed with the John Sands brand.
It is the magazine display which would interest most newsagents – many magazines in their display are on rollback prices, discounted. Rollback pricing is a feel good offer consumers love – look at what Coles are doing at present with rollback pricing on grocery items. I know from working with the magazine club card for the last three years that magazine buyers like a deal. The rollback strategy will work.
Big W Mittagong and the similar concept stores for Officeworks, Target, Coles and Safeway will all show that these big business competitors we so often complain about invest heavily (as do their suppliers) in navigating change. They experiment, gather data, tweak and ultimately find the model which they run with nationally.
While it would be easy for a newsagent to walk in, see the magazine rollback price offer at Big W Mittagong and get angry. the reality is that there is nothing stopping newsagents making similar strategic moves. It starts with us being entrepreneurial, exerting more control over our businesses and stopping busy work – things we do for the sake of being busy.
PS. Check out the Big W website and how they are promoting the new Harry Potter book. There is a clock counting down its arrival. Nice.