Author: Mark Fletcher

In addition to prime display of Coach magazine on aisle end, we are also giving it extra pocket space in the usual location for the title.  We justify the space allocation based on the sales.  We expect to maintain this extra pocket space allocation for two weeks.

How we are treating Coach is how we treat all titles in terms of space allocation.  While it means investing more time in tracking sales, the result is even more sales as we give more space to titles which are performing well and respond to the extra space.  This is one reason we order extra stock of some titles – because growth is coming from the space we allocate to them.

We are also promoting Coach as an ideal Christmas gift and this should give us a nice sales boost leading to Christmas.

We are promoting the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine at the sales counter, next to our Ticketek outlet.

This location makes sense for the magazine, getting it to the front of the store where more shoppers who are interested in music are likely to see the cover.  We try and give each issue of Rolling Stone some time in this premium space.

Ticketek has only been in for a few months so we are still getting known as an outlet for concert and other tickets. As that grows I expect sales will increase for titles like Rolling Stone.

I understand why Australian publishers complain about imported titles, especially those which appear to be dumped on our marketplace on terms which do not reflect the real cost of printing and landing them here. Jamie magazine does not fall into this group.

Jamie is a good title, not oversupplied and most welcome in enhancing our credentials in the serious food title space. All round, Jamie is a good example of an imported magazine I am happy to see on my shelves. I guess it helps that it’s a personal favourite of mine.

I was disappointed to see Reader’s Digest promoting a subscription to the magazine at 67% off the cover price on the Living Social website.  While I understand that subscriptions play a role in the sales mic for magazine publishers, a discount such as this helps educate shoppers to not pay full price.  I expect that some of those who pick up the offer would have otherwise purchased the title over the counter in a newsagency.

Newsagents struggle to get subscription offers from publishers to sell.  We are told that 25% margin is all they can afford.  Here is one publisher able to give away 67% of the cover price and then fund delivery through the mail system.

While some magazine publishers actively support the newsagency channel, others grab a sale anywhere they can.  I think this is shortsighted.

Rather than grabbing sales at a massive discount, Reader’s Digest ought to invest time and money in the newsagency channel and thereby invest in this channel which is vital to the sales of magazines here in Australia for the short to medium term.

I am not a fan of magazines which extend the space needed for the magazine itself for a promotion or for some other reason.  Check out this issue of The World of Cross Stitching.  The publisher has stuck it in a bag and taken an extra 25cm of space across the top and down the left side to promote the issue.

While I can understand that the publisher wants to promote the issue, they need to respect that they are in a shared space where most products have a common size.  Stretching beyond it as they have either takes space from other magazines or results in the promotional flaps being crunched … and this is what happens.  It’s a pity because it detracts from the title.

I’d encourage newsagents to check their shelves and see if they have Brock and I in store.  It’s an Australian Muscle Car special edition.  We have the title in an excellent location in our motoring section – with the full cover on display.

I considered placing it at the counter but have decided against it this week.  My plan is to have this title in our magazines as Christmas gifts display from next week if we still have stock.  It’s the kind of title which people will purchase for someone else as a gift because they know it will appeal.

This title is a good example of why newsagents need a senior person managing magazines.  Someone who is just doing their job and not looking for opportunities would have shoved this title into the motoring section without a thought. Giving the title some small attention is certain to drive sales and that’s what we are here for.

If we consider ourselves to magazine specialists then we need to manage the magazine depart=ment as if we are magazine specialists.

We have sold out of The Australian Women’s Health Diary and have ordered more stock.  We have promoted this directly above our weekly magazines with tremendous success.  No flashy display, just perfect placement.

What has been noticeable this year compared to other years is the purchase of the title as a Christmas gift.  Not sure if this is a trend or we are just more aware of the purpose for the purchase.

While I’d like a better margin for this diary, I am please to see it selling so well on impulse and usually as an extension to the shopping basket.

We are promoting the latest issue of Melbourne Home Design + Living at the entrance to our main magazine aisle – where the magazine is usually located.  Our team has done a terrific job creating collateral with which to promote the title and drive sales.

We see Melbourne Home Design + Living a magazine which could be purchased as a Christmas gift – hence the high traffic location placement.

This display will have a week in the spotlight before we move it to another location for a second week.

Melbourne Home Design + Living is not a title newsagents tend to promote is this is not pushed by the publisher.  W choose to promote the title as it responds well to our support.  For us, this is what proportions are about – sales.

We will sell out of the Women’s Weekly Christmas miniatures cookbook from ACP magazines.  We have had this title with other mini cookbooks and at the counter.  The most successful location for this title has been at the counter without a doubt.  It’s a pretty easy impulse purchase and that is how our shoppers purchase it.  If newsagents find them with plenty of stock of this title I’d encourage a counter placement – but make sure the counter is not too cluttered – people have to see what you are promoting.

Just as we have done with Marie Claire this week, we have alloced double pockets to Dolly magazine to show off the gift which comes with the title.

The free pyjamas with Dolly make this issue more interesting and valuable as a Christmas gift.  The makes allocating good space to show off the gift more important.  Newsagents are certain the get extra sales in the lead up to Christmas if they couple display as shown in the photo … I’d encourage this.

We are promoting the latest issue of Donna Hay magazine with this in-location display.

While space is a challenge with all the Christmas titles in-store, we have found room for a week for this double waterfall display to help drive early sales of the title.

Once this display comes down we will support the title in week two with a pocket located with our weekly titles, in a busier part of the newsagency.  Our Donna Hay sales are somewhat volatile meaning that we need to work hard to keep them up – hence the additional attention.

Kudos to the folks at Russh magazine for promoting newsagents to their more than 40,000 Facebook friends and more than 14,000 Twitter followers with a couple of messages this week along.  here is the message sent the day prior to on-sale:

In the spirit of issue 43 which hits stands TODAY. To be wild or tame? Head to your local newsagency and make the call.

This support for newsagents is terrific.  It’s to their own network and is clear in its support of newsagents as the go to retailers for the title.

An iPad App for Russh has also been launched.

Just as we have done with food titles, we have brought together Christmas themed craft titles and placed them at the front of our craft magazine section.  I figured that we have only a limited time to sell Christmas themed magazines so they deserve prime space even though we have had to move some of them a couple of pockets away from where they should be.

I appreciate that it can be time-consuming moving magazines around like this to serve seasonal opportunities. The payoff is incremental magazine sales.  This is one way newsagents can drive sales efficiency – getting more sales from the same or even less customer traffic.  It can be done.  I know of newsagents achieving real sales growth while experiencing a customer traffic decline.

Here is a good example of an allocations increase I agree with.  Our supply of Psychology Today was increased from two copies to three on the back of sell outs four issues in a row.

Click on the image if you want to see the supply and return data for the last year.

While we were left without this title on the shelves for four issues, I’d rather than than having a copy left at the end of the month.  Without empty pockets into which move titles not displayed full face newsagent could not do justice to everything they receive.  Just ask any newsagent, I am certain their would advise that they receive more titles than they have pockets for.

We are promoting the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens and the new Australian Women’s Weekly Preserves cookbook next to newspapers for the next week.

Both titles are sure to work a treat from this location.  They look good, are easily understood and work as gifts.  hence this high traffic impulse purchase location.

We are also supporting them in their usual location to make sure that we don;t miss the shoppers who go looking for them -= this important with displays, to not forget the regular shopper for a title.