Further to my recent post, I have this week seen another example of Bauer suppling an AWW cookbook title, sweet things, to Woolworths at the same time as newsagents.
The exclusive-to-newsagents period Bauer (then ACP) provides newsagents with was a good and much appreciated commercial advantage for us. It gave us an excellent opportunity for sales ahead of sales in supermarkets. It differentiated us. With this exclusivity window gone it sees us treated as the same as Woolworths by Bauer.
I wish Bauer announced their change in position on this to us. This goes for all suppliers who take something – a benefit, an opportunity – away from their customers. They should be transparent about good and bad. When they are not, trust is justifiably diminished.
I would suggest that the majority of us make a loss on the AWW cookbooks. Carrying the range, using valuable retail space, multiple copies and keeping them for months. I have stopped them. When they are sent to me what a waste to have to send them all back but I cant seem to stop them.
Wally, put it in writing to Bauer. request acknowledgement in writing. Also, check your agreement and the controls you have or don’t have on allocation.
It’s dissapointing sometimes on just how Network/Bauer treat us as newsagents. It was nice to have a point of difference (whilst only a short window). Allocations are too hard to control and often over-ridden. On another point. We have had 2 emails today regarding the “Best value food mag” price reduction for Recipes+ and our allocation is reduced from 9 to 3 (after around 55-60% sell of the prvious issues) Yes we can reorder if available but my guess is that our channel will have minimal copies and the supermarkets will have more coies than they can poke a stick at. At the end of the day we look bad as it seems we DO NOT support the product. It’s hard to support any product that has no stock!
Just came back from the post office buying stamps and while there noticed they now sell AWW cook books how long before magazines are in there
Shaun it’s an interesting question and one that newsagents have feared for years. It’s part of what gets our channel agreeing to undertake some non-commercial activity.