We heard this week that newsXpress Forest Hill is ranked #7 nationally and #2 in Victoria for sales of Lovatts titles. The Lovatts brand dominates the crossword and puzzle space and we have made a concerted effort around this category for several years. That effort is paid off in these rankings – both are way above our overall state and national magazine sales rankings. I’d put our success down to obsession with the catgeory and smart use of technology – our in-store actions are data driven.
newsXpress stores accounted for seven of the top sixteen newsagency outlets for Lovatts product. Newspower had five, Nextra three and one was unaligned to a marketing group. I appreciate Lovatts tracking sales and reporting at the marketing group level – nothing like a bit of health competition.
I see crosswords as a crucial category for newsagents. Done well, they demonstrate a point of difference to a very loyal and cost effective consumer – they are a honey pot around which you can build other success. The key is to carry a broad range yet ensure that the magazine distributors do not load you with foreign titles which are dumped here and soak up too much real-estate.