Newsagents are fighting with the stationery wholesaler they own to stop newsagent competitors getting equal deals.
GNS (Group Newsagency Supplies) was established decades ago in NSW to give newsagents access to stationery at competitive prices. Now, with offices up the eastern Seaboard, GNS is the largest supplier of stationery to newsagents. It is 100% owned by newsagents.
Imaging the surprise when newsagents discover GNS branded product in non newsagent retail outlets – such as the Licenced Post Office shown in the photo below. In the yellow box is GNS branded product also sold in the newsagency next door to the post office.
GNS is transparent about supplying non newsagent retail outlets and I have no quarrel with that. What is wrong here is GNS supplying GNS branded product, the newsagent funded brand, to non newsagent outlets. I might also have an issue with the price GNS charges non newsagent outlets if I knew the pricing arrangements for them.
Why does this matter? GNS is the first to complain when newsagents purchase stationery elsewhere. They berate newsagents saying that they should support the warehouse they own. This also applies to GNS. The best way for them to lead newsagents to be loyal is for them to be loyal to their shareholders.
The newsagent who brought this situation to my attention has been treated poorly by GNS with no answers provided as to how GNS branded product gets on the shelf of the post office.
I am a shareholder in GNS and my newsagency buys its stationery from GNS.
GNS appears to have forgotten the simple fact you have just mentioned that it is owned by newsagents. I was asked a few months back like every other newsagents if I wanted to purchase more shares in GNS, we did but what did I get for my money. GNS is not a lot cheaper then other suppliers, our deliveries are slow, accounts are cut off after 45 days if unpaid and GNS always seems to be out of stock of even the most basic lines. Maybe newsagents should consider closing theie accounts and asking for a refund of our shares, let GNS trade with the other outlets exclusively or get them to take newsagents out of their name as it no longer applies.
Mark a few years ago here in South Australia we had a local independent staionery shop selling newsagent branded envelopes, purchased from the SA ANCOL supplier, I notified them of the problem, this sort of thing has been happening for years, this year as a NewsXpress member I recived all newspower branded exercise books
Dave
newsXpress Clare
I was recently in San Diego USA and saw some Sovereign branded calculators. It had GNS in small print on the back so I knew it was the same
company. They were on sale at a large electronics store.
For those newsagents who actually believe they
“own” GNS then it’s about time to wake up to reality.