Why GNS matters to newsagents
OfficeMax and Staples (formerly Corporate Express) continue to pitch to newsagents, chasing wholesale stationery sales. Both businesses are US owned. Both businesses also sell direct to the customers or newsagents. Strengthen them and you strengthen your competition.
It doesn’t make sense to me that newsagents would support OfficeMax or Staples. They are our competition. Strengthen them and you strengthen your competition.
While GNS can be challenging, it is a business in the middle of transformative action. It’s different today than a year ago and will be even more different in a year’s time.
Here’s why I think GNS matters and why newsagents should support it.
- GNS is newsagent owned. Our support for GNS shows our support for the one commercially unifying proposition in the channel. If we can’t support a wholesaler we own what hope is there for the channel? For some newsagents, their shares are worth more than their newsagency business.
- GNS is local. It’s an Australian business, employing Australian people and feeding many Australian families. Like Australian newsagencies.
- GNS is a newsagency business. There is excellent newsagency specific knowledge within GNS. This helps us – if we allow it.
- GNS comes to us. Through state based reps and a national round of trade shows GNS comes to us to our back door to our businesses.
- GNS helps newsagents. Through in-store expert advice, GNS can help you re-plan and reinvent your stationery offer.
- GNS is listening. The changes in the business over the last year or so have been driven, in part, by newsagent engagement. Try telling a US conglomerate what to do!
Newsagents have a choice where they source stationery. Those who support GNS support the newsagency channel. Those who support the US companies are, in my view, shortsighted and selfish – they are not supporting the newsagency channel.
I’ve written this of my own accord and without encouragement from or knowledge of anyone in or involved with GNS.
I have written this because of a catalogue I received last week from one newsagent, an OfficeMax catalogue rebranded for their franchise / marketing group. Newsagents pitching this can’t, at the same time, saying to their local shoppers support us as we’re an Australian business. Okay, they can because their newsagency is Australian owned. However – this same business prefers to support a US stationery wholesaler over the Australian, newsagent owned, stationery wholesaler.