Along with thousands of others I am in Sydney today for the Gift Fair. Actually, there are three fairs in three locations. I’ll be there for the day. Others from our retail businesses will spend longer.
What’s interesting about Gift Fair is how the retailers interact with suppliers. They are in a marketplace where the retailer chooses what they want to sell, how much of the range and they control display and price. The fair is a true marketplace. Buyers and sellers are excited. Businesses live or die based on the decisions made.
Newsagents, for significant parts of their businesses, don’t have this control. It shows at trade show in those product categories and in the way newsagents and suppliers interact with each other. If only all a newsagency was as commercial and free as in the gift space. I think you’d find many more entrepreneurial newsagents.
I’m excited about today. We are looking for products for our Sophie Randall gift shops as well as our three newsagencies. It’s going to be a fun!