We had a chap from a UK publishing company in our shop the other day and he commented at how robust the newsagency channel seemed in Australia compared to the UK. He lamented the loss of mid size shops like ours. I know from my recent trips to the UK that there is a huge difference from the top end WH Smith type stores to the 20,000+ high street newsagents which are barely existing as convenience stores.
The suppliers who rely on our strong channel would do well to travel to the UK and see what happens if you squeeze at the bottom end too much.
And I bet they’re gonna rebate your rent for the floorspace that is not usable.