We have started rebuilding our stationery offering following major disruption over the last five months with construction in the centre and in our tenancy. The building project will take a few months as we are taking our time and focusing on brands. We have started with tape and are building a stolid story around the 3M Scotch brand. What is interesting to us is the challenge of accessing enough of the range to adequately represent the brand.
This is a huge problem for newsagents across the country. They rely on stationery warehouses for the range of a brand they carry and often a national brand is not as fully represented in the warehouse as it could be. This is what we found with Scotch when we started.
We like national brands because consumers are more likely to know and trust them and because they are advertised more often. Newsagent warehouses need to understand this and help newsagents pitch a more consistent brand story.
While on the issue of stationery, I am pleased to see the ANF preparing to survey newsagents about the newsagent owned GNS warehouses on the Eastern Seaboard.
These wharehouse ranging problems are not only issued for newsagents. Suppliers too would be put at disadvantage.
The industry has failed for many decaded in building relationships with suppliers. To fully merchandise the stationary category with a ‘consistant brand story’, newsagents need these relationships with suppliers.
I have recently started from scratch in planning our stationary offering. I too have found the range of particular brands available an issue. And it is one that can be difficult to overcome.
Jarryd we need suppliers to support brands so that we can tell a compelling and competitive brand based story. Otherwise, we’re condemned to being ineffective retailers.
Sorry, i was using the word ‘supplier’ to mean those who supply warehouses (eg, 3M as a supplier).
Warehousing of strong ranges of branded product is absolutly essential. If that issue is addressed, the industry needs to go even further. Having direct relationships with companies such as 3M will greatly help in areas such as pricing, gaining access to market data, merhandising assistance, exclusive offerings, quick access to new products, etc.
Developing these relationships would help in redefining the stationary category accross the industry. Companies such as 3M should work closely with the newsagency industry (most likely through marketing groups). At present most don’t … and who could blame them.