I customer was wondering whether the card in their hand was right or whether they should shop elsewhere. “Have you checked the back of the card”, I said. They turned the card over and saw that the purchase supported the McGrath Foundation and that the card was Australian made. They bought the card. Australia made matters with plenty of shoppers, as does a good charity connection. If your Mother’s Day cards are Australian made and they pitch a good charity connection, ensure everyone working in the newsagency knows to gently suggest customers look at the back of cards they are considering. Supe ..read more

Yes, this is a marketing pitch from me about newsXpress, the newsagency marketing group I own. newsXpress is unique, engaged, optimistic and helpful. The newsXpress community is made up of wonderful retailers who support each other and who appreciate the support from a crew of head office specialists in business data, retail business management, local engagement and more. I am sharing this video to show rather than tell. Our theme for 2024 is MAKING THINGS HAPPEN. It’s about action, growth, success and enjoyment for newsXpress members. We see opportunity for attracting new shoppers, helping e ..read more

Retail newsagents in Western Australia make 7.8% gross profit from selling the weekend edition of The Australian Financial Review while east coast retail newsagents make 10.6% for the same product. Here is the evidence. First up, the WA notice: Now, the east coast notice: Both of these notes come from Paul Munro, Director, Circulation Sales & Operations Nine Publishing, who is based in Sydney. They value Western Australian retail newsagents less than their east coast counterparts, yet labour and occupancy costs in WA are the same as elsewhere. Then there is the broader question of whethe ..read more

This is a question I was asked yesterday when I was talking with a retailer who has vape products for sale. I directed them to the Therapeutic Goods Administration website. The TGA is the federal government agency with regulatory authority for therapeutic goods. Vaping products fall within their remit. Here’s some of what the TGA website covers on vaping products: From 1 January 2024, the importation of disposable vapes will be prohibited, subject to very limited exceptions. The ban will apply to disposable vapes irrespective of nicotine content or therapeutic claims. It means that it will be ..read more

In December 20223 a number of newsagents reported issues accessing magazine supply electronic invoices. The issue was quickly isolated to being experienced by those with a specific model of Telstra modem. The specific problem was tracked back to having been caused by a Telstra initiated update. Here we are in April 2024 and some newsagents continue to have problems. Most recently, it has related to the v7610 modem. The challenge for impacted newsagents is that it an issue for Telstra to resolve, and their resolution has not been as forthcoming as it could be. Their call centra process is not g ..read more

In your newsagency software you likely have facilities you can leverage to offer a point of difference. Whereas decades ago, cutaways facilities were essential and in use in almost all newsagencies, today their use is much less. In the competitive world of retail,  offering a differentiating customer service experience is crucial for success. Smart newsagency software with putaways facilities can be your secret weapon in this battle. Putaways allow newsagents to set aside specific stock for individual customers. This could be anything from the latest copy of their favourite magazine to a ..read more

There is the stationery people buy because they need it and then there is stationery people buy because they want it, the obligation purchase versus the emotional purchase. Traditional stationery suppliers to our channel serve us well with stationery that fills a need. Most do not serve us at all with stationery that serves a want. It is in this want or emotional stationery purchase space that we can make the most money. The failure of existing stationery suppliers to our channel to offer stationery for the want / emotional purchase has plenty of newsagents looking elsewhere. Our channel was b ..read more

Viva Energy Australia has completed the purchase of the On The Run group, a network of 170 fuel and convenience businesses in South Australia that have a track record in the lottery space. The merger amalgamates On The Run and well as Smoke Mart & Gift Box into Viva Energy’s convenience business, creating, as I understand it, a network of  1,000+ convenience retail outlets, including Coles Express, and Liberty. This acquisition may have no impact on newsagents with lotteries or it may be a step to moves that do have an impact. On The Run outlets are good, consistent and broad in what ..read more

I was in a regional town New Zealand over the weekend for a wedding and went to a local Paper Plus store to buy a wedding card. I didn’t like any of the wedding card designs they had, the range felt tired, like the shop. It was my first time in a Paper Plus for five years and as such it’s what I’ll think of as the standard for Paper Plus until I see something different. The shop fixtures were old school – traditional gondolas, high with products stacked. There was no flair or enticement to the retail displays, nothing to draw me into the shop. The light was bright fluro, which is now out of da ..read more

A ..read more