Our crossword sales in the newsagency are up by 29% to $3,343.00, or 308 in unit sales.
There are 2 things we have done that, I think, have helped drive this:
- Pitching key titles next to newspapers while still carrying them in the crossword section.
- Pitching crossword titles on social media, Facebook mainly.
- Relaying crosswords to improve the shopper experience. This took all of 5 minutes.
Yes, I am disappointed that we continue to only make 25% GP and that cover price movement has been minimal, not keeping up with inflation. That said, the growth from a small effort is terrific.
I can’t be sure as to why we are seeing this growth in crossword sales. If it is wider than our newsagency then I suspect it is related to the economy or how people feel about the economy at least. If it’s just us then what we have done has to be key here. I do think our small but targeted actions have played a key role.
Overall magazine sales are up 6% year on year, making the 29% growth for crossword titles worth consideration.