The ANF Board is placing more emphasis on commercial skills than Association skills in its pursuit of a new CEO. The advertisement published yesterday by Hays Recruitment makes it clear the organisation is looking for new revenue streams.
The Board ought to have surveyed newsagents as to what they are looking for in an industry association. I suspect that newsagents would rate association services more highly than commercial services. This is where the ANF has caused grief for itself over the last eight years. I suspect it is a key reason many newsagents have quit the association.
My view is that the ANF ought to shrink considerably and focus on national policy as this is the one area not covered by current state associations.
I suspect that the legal team advising the NSW newsagent instigated Class Action on the Bill Express matter might have a view on the ANF involvement in commercial matters.
The way i read it, they are looking for someone to drive revenue streams to the largest family operated business etc not Anf head office as implied.
If your idea of the Anf is to arbitrate between states about issues of supply, territory issues with service stations etc your missing the point with the Anf. What i want is an organization that brings new business our way, give things a go that have half a chance and also using their muscle to gain the best deal for us. I know that when we were doing the bill payment thing, we were pulling a lot of people to our neck of the woods, it wasn’t a failure totally.
Thats what i thought the whole idea of the anf was to fight for us if we have problems with things like over supply etc. I think the ANF would find it very difficult to sign any one up on any new scams
Paul,
The ANF or the replacement body needs to serve members as an association. Once they have this right, they can consider commercial activity but not before.
Newsagents have newsXpress, Nextra, Newspower and GNS to handle commercial activity.
The last thing we need is an association sucking up margin.
Mark
I’m not and ANF member or have been, I’m also an independent newsagency.
I would like them to define what they are. They look like a franchise more than a Federation. If I want better deals I have the option of joining newsxpress etc but I don’t have the option of joining a body that will protect my interests, such as the BE fiasco.
Mark,
How over governed and represented do you want us to be. It’s the same old story with you lot bagging the big bad Anf every step of the way, what new revenue stream has the states given us .
As I see it theres too much wishy washy out there, if your getting over supplyed throw it in a box and send it back. We want new enterprise not debaters. We want help here to make money for those that haven’t made their first mill yet.
yeah right… if ANF keeps selling us the ‘Bill Express’ then we will never make our first mill.
Instead we all be loosing our first mill in no time…. and ANF will be enriched by ‘god-knows-how-manyth’ mill.
Paul
Neither the states nor the federal body should indulge in commercial activity. As others have pointed out, commercial activities suck margin from the newsagents, they can be in conflict with existing arrangements that newsagents may have and, too often, can be flops, eg, Bill Express.
By “partnering” with certain suppliers, the umbrella body’s independence and integrity are compromised.
The role of trade bodies should be to represent that trade in discussions with governments, unions, and suppliers to that trade.
Thus, the ANF’s role should be to represent newsagents to ensure that publishers, distributors, landlords and government treat newsagents with respect and fairness.
Paul,
I don’t expect any association to find a new revenue stream. I expect associations to provide association services. Associations and commercial services do not mix.
In terms of being over governed, I see the states providing state services and a small cost effective national secretariat providing policy advice on national issues.
Mark
There needs to be a new national secretariat for the newsagent industry. It’s focus should be completely on policy and advocacy and representing member interests at various levels. If it is funded and run appropriately it should never need to enter into commercial ventures. Start something new and get away from the history and politics and start doing what newsagents want on issues critical to their business.
What is the relevence of a State or National Association if it is not focussed on protecting the current income streams already available to newsagents?
For example, newspapers and magazines, don’t think for one moment that a reduced commission structure has not been discussed. What could either Association do to stop it?
Short answer, nothing.
You cannot get teeth to grow on a toothless Tiger.
The real question is,
“How do you structure our Associations so they do have power?”
That is your starting point.
Then you can look at other ways to drive business back into stores.
Otherwise we are kidding ourselves if we think industry partners will actually listen to either associations.
Vaughan,
I don’t think that associations can have power. They do not have any mechanisms for driving power. This is why involvement with commercial activity usually fails.
Mark
Vaughan,
Associations don’t generally have any real power – they aren’t designed to.
They are there to represent the industry at a national level (in a non-commercial scope), define policy and disseminate information.
Marketing groups and franchises are where power lies. If you structure associations to have power they become something else completely. That something else will, by its very nature, compete with the groups many of their members belong to.
Mark /Jarryd
Which brings me back to my point; what is their relevence?
The associations have not been able to negotiate a tangible deal for newsagents since i have been involved in over 6 years.
We continue to bend over backwards for our industry partners who screw us over at every opportunity with no recognition.
As i said, if the publishers wanted to change the matrix of our industry; no one could stop them. Hence my reference to power.
Vaughan,
It is a good question. I personally think that associations should not be overly relevant and only exist to play a reletivly small role.
I am not sure that no one could stop suppliers if they wanted to change the matrix of our industry. Associations could launch legal action if it were appropriate on the basis on something such as misuse of market power. Marketing groups and franchises could collectivly refuse to accept stock.
I don’t want associations negotiating any deal on my behalf. I want such things in the hands of my marketing group/franchise.