Further analysis of January – May sales data shows a fall of around 10% in sales recorded for motoring magazines. I’d note that for the same period we have seen new titles issued.
With three magazine distributors competing with each other and a model whereby they receive fees for distribution, this will happen while sales slowly decay. If distributors were only paid on the basis of retail sales (as happens with newsagents) we would see far fewer magazines in this country.
There is a case for the magazine distributors to collude with newsagents to control the number of new titles published and or imported. Newsagents are the losers from the current situation because they get no say in the titles they are sent and it’s their cash at risk every day.
The 10% fall in motoring for the small group of newsagencies I sampled suggests to me that this once powerhouse category is in long term decline. It makes sense when you consider the quality and timeliness of specialist websites in the motoring area now.