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

Author: Mark Fletcher

The opportunity of People’s Friend missing again

boyle_peoplesfriend.JPGPeople’s Friend did not arrive on Friday (again!) so we pinched twenty copies from one of our other stores. This did not even fill putaway requests. Gotch tells us that we will have our stock on Monday. In the meantime we placed the Susan Boyle book where we usually put People’s Friend. She is Scottish and probably appeals to the People’s Friend audience. Selling one or two copies of the book will soften the frustration at not getting People’s Friend.

I mention this today as an example of how we try and mitigate supply misfortune with a popular title by placing another product which appeals to the same shoppers. Sometimes it works while other times it does not. Banking the results from sometimes is better than leaving the space empty and getting nothing.

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magazine distribution

Magazine promotion drives Better Homes sales

fhn_bhg_mar10.JPGThe considerable promotional work we have done for Better Homes and Gardens over the last four days (see here and here as well as the display in the photo – this is near the entrance to our shop) has paid off well.  Comparing sales for the first four days of this issue with the first four days of recent issues, sales are up more than 125%. We are thrilled.

Some newsagents think that investing resources into magazines is a waste.  I disagree.  The success we are experiencing with BHG is proof of the financial payoff.  This is a profitable title and even more so this issue for us.  We have similar evidence with plenty of other titles.

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magazines

Rolling Stone responds to promotion

Our Rolling Stone promotion is working very well.  A 50% sell through in two days.  It was interesting watching customers buying their newspaper today.  Tow who came in to buy a newspaper left with this and a copy of Rolling Stone.  One even mentioned that he had never bought it before.

I hope other newsagents have it placed next to their newspapers.

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magazines

Why newsagents should not wait to develop and iPad strategy

Why news media should not wait to develop iPad apps is an excellent piece at 10,000 Words which every newsagent should read.  While aimed at publishers and journalists, it could equally apply to newsagents.  It articulately explains the compelling interest in the iPad and the opportunity develop a more efficient channel, a channel which suits start ups.

Newsagents and some associated with the channel have derided devices like the Kindle, iPad and others released earlier and those who have written about the need for a newsagent strategy.  These devices will have an impact and too many of us will have been found to be napping at the wheel.

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Media disruption

Free DVD Better Homes and Gardens display at the counter

fhn_bhg_march2010.JPGWe have created an additional display to promote Better Homes and Gardens this weekend at our main counter.  With 60% of our copies of Better Homes and Gardens sold on the weekend this move makes sense.  The free DVD on the cover and the promotion of this should make this issue really pop.  We’ll take the counter display down Monday.

We have left our BHG displays up elsewehere because on weekends we have a higher percentage of customers shopping only the front third of the shop.  This counter display is more for them.

Our sales of this issue of BHG are ahead of previous issues.

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magazines

Mothering Sunday – March 14

mothering_sunday_2010.JPGWe are promoting Mothering Sunday with a small selection of cards.  We have done this every year for many years now with good success.  It is a reminder to our customers that we are the card specialists.  It also serves us well in our particular area where many of our customers have mothers and grandmothers overseas.  The cards left over work well for Mother’s Day.  The range has been out for a couple of weeks and is selling.

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Greeting Cards

SA newsagents feel let down by ANF

More than 170 newsagents met in Adelaide just before Christmas to discuss the News Limited contracts.  At the meeting the newsagents made their views clear to all of us there including the ANF.  They created a committee to work through their log of claims.

There have been various discussions between the newsagents and the ANF culminating in the newsagents asking the ANF to form a sub-committee to progress negotiations with News.

The ANF has rejected the will of SA newsagents and ruled against forming a sub-committee of newsagents.  It wants SA newsagents to rely on the ANF SA committee, the same committee which many SA newsagents have previously been critical of.

The ANF has missed an opportunity here to demonstrate a preparedness to listen to and act on the will of newsagents.

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Newsagent representation

Unusual card requests in the newsagency

Someone asked if we had a card specifically for a nun celebrating fifty years of service. While we have an excellent range of cards we did not have this one. The request started us thinking about obscure card caption requests. I’d be interested in what other newsagents have encountered.

Newsagents sell more cards than any other retail channel so there are bound to be some interesting requests out there.  I recal one a few years ago from a customer looking for a sympathy card for the ex wife of someone they were happy to see had passed away.  Yep, obscure…

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Greeting Cards

Driving good easter business in Frankston

frank_easter_2010.jpegOur team at Frankston has created a stunning Easter display on the dance floor. Facing shoppers as the leave Coles opposite us, this display is attractive, functional and enticing. The key range is eggs and chocolates from Ernest Hillier. This is supported by an excellent range of Easter gifts as well as Easter cards. We have an excellent Easter book sale running with this important valuable season. We grew Easter sales by more than 10% last. The value of this was compounded by better margin on many lines. We have set a sales growth target this year and we have even better margins on some lines.

Easter is a month-long season covering several categories in a newsagency.  This is what really appeals to me – we get to play to our strengths.  Key to this is that newsagents will sell more Easter cards than any other retail channel.

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confectionary

Great eco-friendly journal range

recycled_journals.jpgThe Last Diary Company has a good range of eco-friendly journals which our customers like.  The photo shows three of the journals, there are other items in the broader range.  They are part of our green stationery offer which also includes the O’Bon pencils, journals and folders about which I have written previously.  Sales of the Collins Debden carbon neutral and Kyoto diaries can indicate the interest among your customers for expanding into the green stationery area.  We certainly see the green niche expanding this year.  If you are unsure, check out Officeworks and other competitors.

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Environment

Diaries now 25% off

diaries_25_off.JPGWe are offering diaries at 25% off in one of our newsagencies to move stock and free space. Plenty of what is shown in the photo was purchased at a substantial discount off wholesale for this move so the margin is excellent. We have had an excellent diary season so far and indications are that this will continue for some time. The 25% off will kick that up – attracting traffic and building basket efficiency. Our current plan is to run this sale for a couple of weeks before moving back to full price.

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Diaries

Just read: The Man Who Owns the News

manwhoownthenews.jpgI have just finished reading The Man Who Owns the News by Michael Woolf, published by Random House. It’s about Rupert Murdoch and charts his journey from Australia in the 1950s to (almost) today. It pays particular attention to the takeover of the Dow Jones Company by News Corporation. I enjoyed the book immensely. Unexpectedly, it increased my respect for Rupert Murdoch and the global business he has built. The book also provides context for some of what happens on our patch. I highly recommend it.

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Newspapers

Promoting Prevention magazine in Frankston

prevention_frankston.jpegOur team at Frankston created an excellent display promotion the latest issue of Prevention magazine – in a high profile location facing the dance floor.  While each side of the column promotes a different title, this side in an excellent location.  Prevention is performing well for us so it makes sense to promote the title as success breeds success.  As the photo shows (click on it for a larger image) we are using the display unit from Pacific Magazines to make it easy for customers to purchase the title.

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magazines

Great St Patrick’s Day sales

fhn_stpats_2010.JPGOur small St Patrick’s Day display has been out for two days and has already sold so well that we have ordered replacement stock.

The various hats have been the most popular items followed by the glasses.

Yesterday, we added the new Lovatts Colossus Crossword to the display – since it has the St Patrick’s Day cover. We always try and bring together muultiple categories for displays like this.  Next week we will add the Irish Echo for its big sale of the year.

Our team at newsXpress Forest Hill took a Collins Debden diary stand and recycled it for the St Patrick’s day product display.  We hang on to all the old display units – unless they are too damaged – and reuse there whenever possible.  This gives us visual merchandising flexibility.

We love connecting with minor seasons like St Patrick’s Day.  Shoppers remember this and come back.  There is little competition in this space.

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magazines

Leveraging the AC/DC opportunity

fhn_rolling_stone_mar2010.jpgWe are promoting Rolling Stone in front of our main newspaper display for the next few days thanks to the AC/DC cover and feature content.  Given the excellent press coverage from their concrts in Melbourne a week or so ago I expect this issue to sell well – hence our decision to promote it outside the magazine aisles.

As the display shows, we have the magazine posters in the usual newspaper poster holders.  We also dressed up an air display to hold the stock – do people can buy it with their newspaper.

Our recent Rolling Stone sales have not been as good as we would like.  Hopefully, this timely promotion will put the title back on the radar and drive sales.

It is often not the pretty displays which sell but the strategic location and easy of shopping from the displays which drive sales.

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magazines

Tapping into the slow cooker interest

fhn_slowcooker_mar2010.JPGWe have placed copies ACP Magazines’ new Slow Cooker cookbook in with our weekly magazine as well as the food section with other cookbooks.  We know from cookbook sales over the last six months that slow cookers are all the rage at the moment so it makes sense to give this new title the co-location treatment.  In the weeklies area, the title is on the flat in front of a column of food titles between weeklies and TV related titles.

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magazines

Promoting Better Homes and Gardens with free home-design DVD

fhn_betterhomes_mar2010.JPGWe are promoting the latest issue of Better Homes & Gardens on an aisle end between out two busiest magzine aisles. The free home-design DVD is bound to be a hit – it went off last time it was offered with the title.  We also have the title in a display unit at the front of the newsagency and in its usual place in our women’s magazine aisle.  We will kick this up for weekends, when sales for the title peak.

Better Homes & Gardens goes from strength to strength.  It’s appeal is broad and this works well for us.

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magazines

Promoting Good Health

dsc01202.JPGWe are pitching the latest issue of Good Health magazine at the entrance to our woman’s magazine aisle.  The free gift makes this a good offer and well worth pitching in this prime position.  We are using the front, side and rear of the stand to promote the title.  We also have a pocket of Good Health mixed with our weeklies as well as in the health section of the magazine department.

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magazines

Marketing the newsagency by text message

pacific_new_idea.JPGWe ran our first trial last week of delivering a marketing message for one of our newsagencies by text message.  We have a good mobile phone database which we would like to use in promoting a range of products and offers using this technology – if we can see the return.

The mechanic was that the customer had to bring in their phone and show the message to redeem the reward – in this case a $1 scratchie with the purchase of aspecific magazine at full price.

While we were not swamped with responses, we did have customers come in, show us the message, make the required purchase and get their reward.  Some said they would not have made the purchase otherwise.

Newsagents need, more than ever, to promote outside our four walls – to new customers as well as to existing, and past, customers.  Text message marketing is more about an immediate, almost disposable, offer, it’s the nature of the technology and how it is used.

We already use email marketing so trying text messages was a logical step for us.  We have several more messages in our plans before we take time to analyse the results.  Our feeling is that we need to run a trial over several messages as the delivery method may appeal to some an not others.  This is what we want to find out.

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newsagency marketing

Thirty new newsagency locations

People interested in buying a newsagency would be well advised to check with lease consultants and or landlords given the number of new newsagency locations available right now.

I have seen a list of thirty quality shopping centre locations across the country.  Many, but not all, are in new centres where the landlord is looking to attract a national brand business to sit appropriately near other national brands.  Some are to be a second newsagency in an existing centre.

While some people prefer to purchased an established business, others enjoy the process of creating a new business from scratch.  This is where the greenfield opportunities can appeal.  It is also where we can attract new operators to the newsagency channel.

I feels to me as if there are more greenfield opportunities today that for the last few years.

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buying a newsagency

BBC set to move from print

A BBC Strategy Review released earlier this week lays out a plan to move away from physical media – magazines.  This is, in part, in response to an assessment of changes in how news and information are being consumed.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out for BBC related titles which have local presences here: Top Gear and Good Food.

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Media disruption

Staples has tough 2009

Staples released fourth quarter and full year 2009 results overnight.  They show tough trading for this international stationery business.  Staples owns Corporate Express in Australia.  The numbers are interesting to newsagents and their wholesalers who want to understand international stationery trends and how a major retailer in this space is facing these trends.  Their focus in the tough market is to drive internal efficiency and adpot a steady approach to growth.

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Stationery

iPad magazine buzz

Reports have intensified over the last twenty-fours hours about magazine publishers readying their titles for distribution through the new Apple iPad. Condé Nast is the focus of much of the attention.  Read the latest report from Wired about this here.

While we appear to be removed from iPad innovation here, I suspect we are actually not that far off given the interest in the iPad device.  All it will take is good early sales for publishers to invest in delivering content through the new platform.  Indeed, if I were a publisher, I’d have money invested in this channel already – it is an important part of the mix.

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Media disruption
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