Two days after their editorial writer had an unexpected crack at Australia’s 4,600 independent small business newsagents, the Fairfax’s new chief operating officer, Brian Evans is quoted in an article, If the paper’s too big, sell it in parts, in today’s Fairfax published Sydney Morning Herald.
Talking about opportunities for specialisation in retail of Fairfax newspapers, Evans comments about a role newsagents can play:
“That’s really where the relationship with the newsagent comes into play. If we’re going to supply different products to different people, it’s going to come through the newsagent distribution system.”
Further on he comments:
“We need to have a more dynamic relationship with newsagents,” he said. “That relationship has to be a lot more modern in the way it thinks about things.”
The story about Evans, Fairfax plans for the future and newsagents will take the sting out of the editorial of two days ago. It is a good move and should be welcomed by newsagents. However, the need for the newsagent channel to evolve remains just as it does for publishers to evolve.
Newsagents have excellent foot traffic. Much of this has been built through linear relationships with suppliers. A cohesive marketing and management plan could see incremental sales achieved in all major categories. Rather than newsagents working with a Fairfax rep in isolation, they should be working with Fairfax, News, lotteries and the card suppliers to present a complete retail story so that maximum sales are achieved every visit. This presents a better opportunity than add on sales at McDonalds.