Tradition dogs just about every decision a newsagent makes from the layout of their shop through to how they process day to day transactions. Some of these traditions deny newsagents the growth they crave. Take the location of greeting cards in a newsagency, for example. Most have their card ‘aisle’ located toward the back, in an area away from the main store traffic. Some do this because they want to provide a quiet space for the reflective nature of the greeting card purchase. Others do it because of the demands of newspaper publishers and lottery companies to have the best space in the shop. Others do it because everyone else does.
Last year we moved greeting cards from a rear middle aisle to the front of the shop. The result is excellent sales growth and encouraging feedback from customers. Rather than treat cards as a poor cousin, we have moved them front and centre and the results speak for themselves.
Newsagents pursuing growth could achieve this by relocating their greeting cards to a higher traffic area. With the higher margin offered by cards the payback could be very rewarding.