Former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett yesterday said on radio 3AW Neil Mitchell’s top rating program yesterday that newsagents are struggling in the face of media consumption moving from print to digital.
I didn’t hear the comment but it’s been confirmed that he said we are struggling. Hmm. here are my questions for Jeff:
- What’s the factual basis for the comment?
- How many newsagencies have you been into in the last six months?
- Have you seen their financial records?
- How many newsagents have you spoken to?
- Why did you say this?
- When you have faced tough personal challenges how did you feel about people talking about you without the facts and without coming to you? How did it impact your mental health?
There is no doubt that we are seeing people shift their news andy information consumption from print to digital. This has been happening for years.
While some newsagents are standing still while the tsunami of change rolls in around and even over them, many newsagents are not. Indeed, many newsagents saw the tsunami way off the coast and started changing their businesses for a new era.
We are in the middle of the most significant shifting what a Australian newsagency is. We don’t need Jeff Kennett tell us or make ill-considered and ignorant comments about this.
Jeff Kennett’s comments remind me of Bill Shorten’s equally puzzling and ignorant comment on Q&A in February which he has not has the guts to deal with since.
I’d like to meet Jeff Kennett and discuss his thoughts about newsagents and share with him some financial results which will challenge his perception.
The Australian newsagency is vital to country towns and city shopping strips. We provide a mix of products and services which are important to the community. We are price competitive and service competitive. We are not protected in any way. We are locally owned businesses serving local families, meeting local needs and helping local communities.
An important difference between small business newsagents and big retailers is that we don’t have their marketing budget, we rely on word of mouth. Thanks Jeff Kennett.
It seems obvious to me that the out of touch Shorten and Kennett would take the opportunity to put our industry down in order to further the profile of their own beloved industry…THE POSTAL SERVICE !!!!
Why are you saying it is a bad thing for someone to point out that a lot of newsagents are struggling, maybe if someone took notice we might get some help.
After all the noisy wheel gets the oil, just look at the car industry, they cry poor and the govt throws money at them to keep them in business. I’m not saying we need financial help but less regulation and a even playing field as far as wages and costs would help.
Just noticed that the newsagency in the Palmerston shopping centre (visiting Darwin) has been closed for six months. Another casualty perhaps to unrealistic expectations from a greedy landlords
Luke, I don’t think government handouts is a good long term business plan. The car industry in Australia is on borrowed time, I doubt there will be any locally manufactured in 10-15 years.
Luke, I don’t think a few newsagencies struggling makes the whole industry in the same situation as those that are failing. The bigger message is the one that I don’t like. I’m not struggling because media is going online. My newspaper sales isn’t that great – but that’s because Queensland Newspapers doesn’t want to provide me with the supply I can sell. Instead, they give Woolworths and Coles my supplies. My magazine sales has been steadily increasing. So in terms of struggling against online media? I don’t think so.
In respect to Governments and small business – I don’t think the former want to do anything for the latter. Period.
If everyone else thinks all is rosy in newsagencies and the industry is going great guns then I will concede to the majority, but this is not what I am seeing talking to other owners in not just my area but through the friendships I’ve made over the past few decades all over oz.
Maybe the only shops closing or going to the wall are due to bad owners nothing to do with what is going on in the wider economy, maybe the Govt is right in that the economy is great and we are all blessed with the mining boom. We are breaking even and will trade out of this downturn but a lot will not and it is not always the case of bad management, sometimes good people get left behind.
We don’t need help . We just need a fair go. Public holiday penalty rates add $12K per year to our costs. Harvesting GST (BAS etc) costs us $8K. Handling staff Super costs us $4K . Various other compliances cost $7-8K. Surreptitious bank fees another $10K. We’re prepared to sail close to the wind to ride out a downturn but it’d be easier if we didn’t have to find these costs to fund Government inspired imposts.
BUFFIT BUYS A CHAIN OF 63 PAPERS WHEN SOMETIME BACK HE SAID THEY THEIR WERE A NO NO .WHAT AM I MISSING HERE
We need to be better retailers. There are newsagents reporting good sales growth and others nearby failing. We are responsible for our own situation.
I have seen loads of “better retailers” fail through no real fault of their own, if people stop spending you are in trouble as costs continue even though income slows. With no national voice at all, I think any spotlight on the hardships faced by newsagents cannot hurt, when the ARA speaks about hard times for it’s retail members no one tells them to shut up and just do a better job.
If you are doing well then that’s great, but times change and people should just count their blessings and not gloat about being a “better retailer” and say the only people failing are bad retailers.
Again I never asked for handouts as small business can never expect any policy from any govts to help them, only lip service but having someone mention newsagents are struggling is not a bad thing at least someone is taking the time to look.
Any retail business in trouble has to look at what they did or did not do to facilitate their situation. Too often people in trouble point elsewhere. We all need to be accountable for our situation.
I don’t see any gloating here.
So be it Mark, to all the newsagents out there doing it hard simply do a better job.
Luke it is not as simple as that. I challenge any newsagent doing it hard and feeling like they are in a hole they can’t get out of to ask me or someone else what they could do. I am certain they would have fresh steps they could take. At the very least they would feel some practical support they may not feel today.
Kennett was chasing headline. Ignorant has been.
I am doing it hard but I have to be honest and say that I have not done everything I could. But that is changing thanks somewhat to stuff Ive read here.