Click here for a copy of the latest benchmark study I’ve done looking at sales data for newspapers, magazines, stationery and cards in 89 newsagencies in the eight months to January 2008 compared to the same eight months a year earlier. The results of the benchmark study shows:
- Newspaper sales fall 4.8% in the city and 3.51% in the country.
- Magazine sales fall 7.5% in the city and rise 1.2% in the country.
- Card sales increase 3.9% in the city and 4.8% in the country.
- Stationery down 6.3% in the city, strong in the country – up 5.2%.
The benchmark study, the third and most comprehensive conducted by Tower Systems, is a possible indicator of consumers migrating from traditional paper based news and information sources to online. There were indications of this in previous studies but the one month period was not enough. This study, covering an eight month period shows an established fall in sales.
The purpose of the benchmark study is to inform newsagents about trends across their channel so that they may make more informed business decisions about future product mix, floor space allocation and the viability of some supplier relationships.