UPDATE: N-Stock has been reviewed by VANA and efforts are being made to work with traditional newsagent suppliers to develop online opportunities further. It is good to see it move from the offer of three years ago.
I have a few issues with N-Stock, the VANA initiative now endorsed by the ANF through which stationery and other items are offered. It is on my mind today because of another three pages fax from them – this time offering Global Star Diaries.
- VANA and the ANF failed to serve newsagents on the Bill Express matter. It is wrong for them to charge off into other areas when they continue to fail on basic association service.
- My VANA association member funds helped create N-Stock. That should be enough for me to gain full benefit.
- There is double commission for accredited newsagents. I am not about to give up two days to do training telling me to do things which I already do. While the accreditation training may teach me one or two things, using rebates as a carrot for me to pay for training is wrong. Their approach to accreditation is like the supplier approach to compliance – there is little basis in business performance.
- Associations have no business acting like a marketing group or a stationery wholesaler. If they do, maybe marketing groups should act like associations and offer HR and other services.
- The deals rarely have overall retail context – seasonal or whole of line.
I label N-Stock a con because it is not the straightforward off it makes out to be. We have no visibility of the commission being made by the ANF and VANA on the deals. Newsagents are required to spend money on accreditation training to access the best deal. They often promote products which compete with brand name suppliers we see at trade shows, in the national magazine and supported on TV (teaching us to be poor retailers) and there is no comparative pricing to justify the claims of incredible deals.
I am a director of newsXpress, a marketing group for newsagents. We offer deals like those offered through N-Stock. It is important readers know this and therefore my conflict in discussing my concerns. However, the association playing in this space conflicts them on many fronts and I am sure their Directors have not thought this through.
Given the relentless promotion of N-Stock, placing VANA and the ANF in the marketing group / supplier space, it would be appropriate for groups like Nextra, newsXpress and Newspower to consider offering association services which, if acted upon could bring the Associations to an end.
Associations should stick to policy and advocacy. They should be looking to represent members interests at an industry and government level. Experience has shown that associations do a poor job at commercial arrangements. Leave the marketing/buying groups to play in that space. Maybe members should be having a closer look at the commercial arrangement between VANA and ANF on N-Stock? Given the Bill Express debacle, it would probably be a good idea.
I see the marketing groups eventually having IR as part of their mix in the future. It will be a natural progression as the State and National Associations lose their relevence.
Hi Mark,
Whilst I haven’t used them, a fellow newsagent in Victoria recently asked VANA for wages advise which was wrong causing some difficulties for the members.
I’d suggest VANA get it’s IR and Association representative skills together BEFORE it ploughs into other areas otherwise I can see them screwing those areas up just like they have screwed up their representation of members to Network, Fairfax, Newsltd, Gotch, Tattersalls, Intralot etc.
Have a good day,
I am a newsagent in NSW and have only just heard about this. The associations are wasting more of our money with this thing.
Lorraine, it’s not the first time I’ve heard that VANA’s IR advice has been questionable. The AWA’s etc they were doing sometime ago were questionable. I have a friend who is an IR lawyer and they said that at the time if someone had of raised the issue with the Fed Govt they would have been in big strife.
My concern is that associations are playing beyond their brief while core needs of their members remain unattended.
Associations should be not-for-profit. Their total focus should be advocating on behalf of members and providing support to assist them to be better retailers rather than spending their time focussed on commercial activities. I’m sure newsagents would pay more in terms of fees if these values were being met rather than what they currently get for their money.
I have been told of a number of new newsagents who have chosen only to belong to a marketing group not an association.
Maybe this is the new generation of newsagents!
Actually, Anthony, we have been seriously considering this approach ourselves. Some of the previous comments on this topic explain why.
n-stock is a joke, like anf. who makes these decisions to sell products?
I can understand the evolution of thought that would lead such a group to offer a service like N-Stock. When you develop the contacts they must have developed advocating on behalf of agencies then the idea that you can then go on to pass on industry scale deals, and channel rebates back to your members is pretty attractive.
The timing isn’t too good but I imagine that this was all set in motion long before anyone thought Bill Express was going to go the way it did and make everyone hyper critical of anything else.
I have been told last month N-Stock earned $100,000 in rebates to agents, so it does seem to have some value.
after 13 years member of neweagency associations, I will stop any membership. I found all the assoc. are useless and powerless. My bustickets comm. now is only 2.5% disaster. and they lose in court. waste of my money.