A blog on issues affecting Australia's newsagents, media and small business generally. More ...

Month: May 2013

Newsagent frustration at lack of price change notice

Retail only newsagents expressed frustration and anger yesterday at the lack of notice on the price change to the Herald Sun and the Daily Telegraph. I heard from half a dozen retail only agents who had not been told.

At one of my shops one customer said this was the last time they’s buy the Herald Sun on a Saturday because of the price rise. It won’t be. This is the same customer who complains if they have to wait behind even one customer to pay for the paper and says they’ll never be back.

6 likes
Newspapers

Better Homes the weekend promotion

This latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens is selling very well so we’re pushing even harder with it the only title between our two major daily newspapers. Usually, we’d have two titles here but we stripped it back in the hope of even better sales for BHG.

1 likes
magazines

Woolworths shows what a poor corporate citizen it is & why schools should support local independent retailers

Check out the story from the ABC two days ago about Woolworths a decision to give a local school supplies to the value of $2,700 as a reward for diving spending of $460,000 by people connected with the school community.

Woolworths was not going to reward the school because of an issue with the claim by the school.

I m shocked that Woolworths is so stingy. I am sure that had local independent retailers been delivered more $460,000 in sales by people connected with the school these businesses would have rewarded the school to a much higher value.

The newsagent who brought this to my attention is offering a reward of $1 for each $20 spent. The Woolworths reward equals $1 for each $170 spent.

This is the difference between big business and small business. To me it looks like the Woolworths campaign is a promotion for them more so than a fund raiser for the school whereas in small business, campaigns connected with local schools and community groups are usually more about them than the retailer.

Schools and community groups should support small business newsagents and other retailers and expect to do better than the paltry sum from Woolworths.

It frustrates me that we in small business do more as a percentage of revenue for our local communities than big business yet are recognised less. Do we do it for recognition? Ultimately, yes for it is this recognition that drives sales and its sales that are vital to supporting local groups.

21 likes
Ethics

Doorstops a hit for Mother’s Day

On a hunch we sourced an extensive range of doorstops, more than twenty styles / designs, for Mother’s Day and for our gift department through winter. On the shop floor for less that a week, the doorstops are selling a treat. We have traditional styles like the two in the photo as well as owls and other animals.

We’ve had success with doorstops before and, curiously, that was during the colder months too.

What I’ve found is having a broad range is key. The choice is appreciated. It can also lead to a second purchase or a word of mouth recommendation to a friend. We have also found that offering doorstops themed in other interests – cats, dogs, retro – also works.

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Gifts

Promoting Symply Too Good To Be True 7

We’re promoting Simply Too Good To be True 7, the latest cookbook and health guide from Annette Sym with this aisle end display as well as a range of all the titles in with our food titles.

The Symply brand is strong in newsagencies and it responds well to promotion like this. I’d urge newsagents to get behind issue #7 as publicity is in full swing.

4 likes
magazines

Promoting brand Britain

The Union Jack is an excellent retail brand right now and we’re embracing it with this counter located display and displays elsewhere for shoppers to discover.

By tapping into products from several suppliers based around a single brand we are able to tell a deeper story and drive a more efficient basket – more items per sale.

3 likes
Gifts

Helpful Friday magazine delivery

Here’s a reason I don’t want to lose the Friday magazine delivery. As I mentioned yesterday we experienced a surge in sales of Take 5 and That’s Life Wednesday. We ordered extra stock and this arrived today. I’m confident we will end the seven days on-sale with an excellent sales up-lift result, a result we could not have achieved had we not had a Friday magazine delivery.

We have been supporting this issue of Take 5 with an off-location display facing all shoppers as they approach our main sales counter – successfully chasing impulse purchases.

2 likes
magazines

A masculine Mother’s Day pitch from Kenny’s Cardiology

I am surprised with the Mother’s Day Promotion at Kenny’s Cardiology outlets. The poster doesn’t connect with the warmth of the season. It also puts a fictional mum in a semi crime type look whereas Mother’s Day is all about our mums and mums we know.

The Kenny’s pitch feels too masculine / butch for what is a feminine season. Has anyone else see this and if so what did you think?

In my newsagencies we are 100% focused on mums of our customers for Mother’s Day. We’re connected with fund raising. We have products we know our shoppers will want for their mums and we are using our Mother’s day cards themselves as the focus of our shop floor displays.

7 likes
Greeting Cards

Officeworks is tougher competition for newsagents

I have been in three different Officeworks stores recently and each showed that this group is on the move. They are making a personal pitch around local management, providing better in-store service and they are strongly promoting their kids club: Ollie kids’ club.

One store I went to provided we with an excellent customer service experience. In fact, it was this experience that made we take more careful note about how much the Officeworks offer had changed.

Newsagents who have not been into an Officeworks store in six months should make the trip to check out the competition. This retail chain has lifted their game, they are even tougher competition for newsagents.

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Stationery

Promoting new look Homespun

We are promoting the new look Homespun with prime positioning in our craft titles section.

I urge newsagents to check where they have Homespun placed. Make sure it is in prime position.

The new look is terrific – the quality matt paper gives the magazine a higher quality feel. Seeing this for yourself is important  so you can talk with customers about it.

Our placement next to Mollie Makes will get Homespun browsed by more shoppers. Adjacencies are everything in driving magazine sales growth.

4 likes
magazines

Reminder: Newsagency of the Future workshops start next week

The free Newsagency of the Future workshop series starts next week. Over 2 hours I’ll outline options as I see them, explain why newsagents must act today and share insights from those who are acting. The locations are:

  • May 6 Brisbane @ 11am River View Hotel (free parking)
  • May 7 Sydney @ 11am Bonnie Doon Golf Club  (free parking)
  • May 8 Adelaide @ 11am Chifley on South Terrace
  • May 9 Melbourne @ 11am Kooyong Tennis Club  (free parking)
  • May 10 @ 10am Perth Country Comfort Inter City Hotel  (free parking)
  • May 20 @ 11am Canberra
  • May 21 @ 11am Newcastle
  • May 22 @ 11am Albury
  • May 23 @ 10am Geelong
  • May 24 @ 11am Hobart
  • May 28 @ 10am Gold Coast
  • May 29 @ 11am Cairns
  • May 30 @ 10am Darwin

Click here to book online or email bookings@towersystems.com.au. This session is open to all newsagents and suppliers.

5 likes
Newsagency management

Magazine publisher moves away from subscriptions in favour of newsagency sales

I received an email earlier this week from the publisher of Australian Property Investor with good news about their plans for subscriptions and newsagency sales.

Remember, this is the magazine I have written about several times – their cover stories get positive coverage on TV shows – most recently Today Tonight – driving sales.

Here’s the good news from the publisher:

As part of API’s growth strategy for 2013 and beyond, we’re moving our focus away from subscription-building and are putting our major marketing efforts into growing our newsagent sales channel. A few ways we’re doing this include:

— In the past, like nearly all magazines, we’ve had in-house magazine ads promoting subscriptions. As of a few issues ago these ads have been completely phased out. The only remaining sub offer in the magazine now is the small tear-off subscription card that all magazines have. While we don’t want to neglect our subscriber base, our goal now is to strengthen and build up our newsagent distribution.

— We have over 7,700 Twitter followers, and regularly tweet comments advising people to “grab a copy of API at their local newsagent.” An example is http://www.twitter.com/apimagazine

— We’ve increased our marketing spend with our distributor Gordon & Gotch in terms of merchandising and POS promotions in newsagents.

These are good reasons for us to support Australian Property Investor.

11 likes
magazines

Surge in That’s Life and Take 5 sales

We experienced a surge in sales of Take 5 and That’s Life yesterday with both titles surging ahead of recent average Wednesday sales. You can see the surge reflected on the Sales decay report I produced for Take 5 yesterday mid afternoon – well ahead of the average of sales for the last four weeks.  We’ve not done anything different for each of the titles – this surge is all their own work!

3 likes
magazines

How to handle a franchise related dispute

Any business operating under a franchise agreement – as do most newsagency marketing groups – has certain rights and opportunities for the handling of any dispute.

The office of the franchise mediation advisor is in place to assist with the navigation of disputes. It provides a mediation service between franchisors and franchisees in dispute and makes sure that the dispute resolution procedures under the Franchising Code of Conduct are followed.

The office can provide information over the telephone but applications for mediation assistance need to be in writing.  http://transition.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/287395

However, you must follow processes.  Letters that do not follow the process will be a waste of time as will meetings and phone calls.  You MUST follow the pricess as doing this sets in place the timeline from which the franchisor cannot resile.

From their website – http://www.franchisingmediationadviser.com.au – here are the steps involved in navigating a dispute with your franchisor:

  1. Write to the other party setting out:
    1. The issues in dispute;
    2. What outcome you want; and
    3. What action you think will settle the dispute

      4. You may wish to use the Notice of Dispute form. Click here to download a copy.

  2. Try to agree with the other party as to how to resolve the dispute. OFMA Can provide assistance at this stage by trying to facilitate agreement between the parties through telephone or written contact.
  3. If 21 days have elapsed since you sent a Notice of Dispute to the other party and the dispute is unresolved, you may wish to initiate mediation under the Code. Either:
    1. Agree on a mediator with the other party; or
    2. Write to OFMA requesting the appointment of a mediator.
  4. OFMA will appoint a mediator within 14 days of receiving a written request to do so and will send the parties the contact details of the appointed mediator, along with a copy of the mediator’s mediation cv.
  5. The mediator will contact each party to prepare for the mediation and to arrange the date, time and place of mediation.
  6. The mediator will also send to each party a mediator appointment agreement for them to sign before the mediation can take place and ask for payment of estimated fees and possible room hire costs prior to the mediation meeting. Note: Once the mediation has taken place an adjustment will be made depending on how long the mediation actually lasted compared with the mediator’s estimate.
I will help any newsagent franchisee navigate a reasonable and just dispute with a franchisor.
7 likes
Newsagency management

Playing outside the square

I was at the American Restaurant in Hong Kong a couple of night ago and noticed on their menu that all dishes came in three sizes. This is good customer service, much better than restaurants that give you one size.

I’ve eaten in plenty of restaurants in Asia and this size offering is not common.

More and more all businesses need to play outside what is usual for their type of business, outside of what customers expect. Delivering them unexpected makes them memorable.

In a newsagency it’s challenging as much of what an average newsagency offers today is defined by others. The more we change that the more flexibility we unlock for ourselves.

Click on the image for a larger version.

Footnote: The American Restaurant is American in name only. They chose the name 50+ years ago to attract Americans. This is really an authentic beijing style eatery.

3 likes
Newsagency management
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