I am curious as to why consolidation of newspaper territories is slow in Sydney compared to Melbourne and, to a lesser extent, Brisbane. It may have something to do with the different approaches being taken by publisher representatives in Sydney.
If publishers want to encourage consolidation of newspaper home delivery territories they need to be flexible in how they view the retail newsagent. They also need to better reward the distribution newsagent who is investing in the consolidation. A visit to Melbourne to review the approach of the last two years would provide an excellent blueprint.
It appears that some publisher executives want to control too much in some states. Smart newsagent operators prefer commercial arrangements which reward growth.