The Christmas rush is over. Thank goodness! Time to relax and enjoy summer. The temptation is to breathe a sigh of relief and coast through January.
That is a mistake.
The weeks immediately following Christmas are terrific for setting the tone for 2026. If you want a better year than the one just gone, don’t wait until February to start.
Here are 5 suggestions:
1. Audit the “Dead Wood”
As I wrote back in September, the “traditional” pillars are crumbling. Magazines are down 9%, newspapers are down 11%. If you have stock that sat through the biggest shopping season of the year and didn’t move, it is “dead wood.”
Don’t let it sit there for another six months tying up your cash. Clear it out. Be ruthless. Use the floor space for high-margin categories like plush, games, or high-end giftware, the “box” that actually delivers a future for your business. Use this task to change the narrative of your business.
2. Review Your Christmas Data (Not Just Your Bank Balance)
Don’t just look at whether you have more money in the bank than last year. Dive into the Tower POS reports.
- Did your average sale value rise? (The benchmark for successful stores is a 15–25% increase).
- Which “experimental” lines worked?
- Where did your gift packaging land?
If your greeting card sales grew by 15%+ (as many did this year), look at which captions drove that. Use this data now to inform your Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day buys.
3. Reset the “Front Third”
The “WOW” factor shouldn’t disappear with Christmas. If your shopfront still looks like a traditional newsagency, you are invisible to new shoppers.
Move something fresh and unexpected into that front third. Make a statement that says, “We are a retail destination, not just a place to pick up a paper.” If a customer walks in and says, “I didn’t know you sold this,” you’ve won.
4. Turn the Gift Voucher into a Relationship
Give post-Christmas traffic a reason to come back in. Use a bounce-back voucher on the receipt or a “local shopper” invitation. This is the time to convert the “seasonal visitor” into a “loyal local.” As I’ve said before: Jeff Bezos doesn’t need their money, but your community does. Remind them of that.
5. Stop Being an “Agent”
If you spent Christmas feeling like a “weak servant” to, maybe, the lottery company or newspaper publishers or for parcel pickup or other agency business, let 2026 be the year you take your independence back.
The most successful newsagencies I see are those where the owner is the curator. They choose the product, they set the margin, and they drive the marketing. If a line isn’t performing, cut it. If a supplier isn’t supporting you, find one who will.
Think on that work, curator, for a moment. That’s what a good retailer is, a curator.
The Bottom Line: The success of 2026 is 100% on you. It’s not about the economy, and it’s not about the decline of print. It’s about execution.
Don’t let the post-Christmas “hangover” slow you down. Get in an hour early, look at your shop with fresh eyes, and start making the changes that will make your payday happen every single day.
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Mark Fletcher founded newsagency software company Tower Systems and is the CEO of newsXpress, a marketing group serving innovative newsagents keen to evolve their businesses for a bright future. You can reach him on mark@newsxpress.com.au or 0418 321 338.