The Minister for Small Business is hosting a summit in Melbourne on Friday to discuss the current economic challenges in the context of small business. While I will not be attending, I had an opportunity today to share insights about the impact on small business and newsagents in particular with one of the Minister’s advisors.
I talked about the new bricks and mortar security requirements by banks for funding the purchase of newsagencies and the new lending rules put in place by major equipment lease finance companies – as well as covering some more general issues facing the channel.
I am hopeful that the two key points covered in the discussion make it to the talking points provided to the Minister ahead of Friday’s meeting. The more diverse the input for a session like the more useful the outcome.
More newsagents should write to politicians to air their views. I am finding the current Federal Government more responsive to representations – at least you get a response and, sometimes, a phone call.
Mark,
Anthony Matis CEO of the ANF will be attending the summit representing our channel.
David.
David, I am not confident that the ANF has current data – certainly not the data I shared yesterday. These things need hard evidence to counter claims which will be made by banks.
I’d like one thing to be discussed and that is : rent goes up by 5% each year yet because most of what we sell is set by our suppliers we are the ones that have to absorb this.
Like papers, magazines and lotto. When was the last time we had an increase in profit margin?
David,
Word on ‘the street’ is that the ANF doesn’t have the numbers to be representing the channel.
Who does represent the channel Jarryd, and what did they put to the meeting?
Heather,
No one group can claim to represent the channel.
Isn’t the fact that no one group does represent the channel a really big problem for all newsagents?? If we all pulled together we could achieve just about anything.
Dean, The opportunity for genuinely pulling together was lost some years ago and exacerbated last year by the handling of the Bill Express mess by some associations.
Also, with the definition of a newsagency shifting so far from the traditional of five to ten years ago, it is likely that needs will shift too.
Whether they have the numbers or not, and the support and up-to date data from newsagents or not, The ANF are currently representing all newsagencies. Whether you want them to or not. When they introduce themselves as The Australian Newsagency Federation they do not add the disclaimer that their membership is in decline and newsagencies x, y and z aren’t members.
sa_paperboy,
That is an issue that needs to be addressed by those parties that are in a position to represent the different groups of newsagencies that exist in the channel.
SA, the only way the ANF can claim national representation is if newsagents have put them in that position. I suspect a check of the membership register will show this is not the case.
No-one checks the register but the ANF. When they talk to other bodies they talk about the thousands of Newsagencies nation wide, not the hundreds that pay their membership fees. What they claim and what people think they should be able to claim aren’t the same, nor the way they are viewed outside the industry.
This is the power people give up when they abandon the body whilst it is still operating as if everything is the same. They negotiate and speak as if they represent everyone and now they are doing it without your input.