For years, Bauer (formerly ACP), provided newsagents with around six weeks exclusivity for new AWW cookbook titles. This was an excellent opportunity for us to promote the new titles without competition from supermarkets.
It looks like the exclusive window is over as the latest title, baking puffs and pastries, is on the shelves in Woolworths already. In one Woolworths I visited on the weekend it was a feature on the service counter – a position suppliers usually pay extra for. We received baking puffs and pastries on March 6.
Supplying newsagents and supermarkets at (or close to) the same time as newsagents would be a blow to our channel … and something I’d expect to have been widely announced. If this is a policy shift, it further strengthens our case for being treated more equally with supermarkets in terms of title selection, payment for premium placement, full copy returns and other financial benefits afforded supermarkets. Also, Bauer they will need to reconsider their scale out to newsagents and the expected on-sale period.
I’d prefer to order my own stock of AWW cookbooks as I’m expected to be financially responsible for it.
No TV Weeks delivered in our area today and the driver says he wasn’t given any at all. Has anyone else had problems with TV Week today? There is nothing on their site re a problem.
I received an email recently to say my shop was a member of AWW club, I guess the big 2 are also members of this special group.
Mark,
Makes me wonder.. Is this change another confirmation that our channel’s perceived value to our traditional suppliers is deteriorating?
Perhaps Bauer looked at a commerial arrangement involving our channel and come to the conclusion that it was ‘misplaced in the new agressive market’. That our channel was getting something it no-longer deserved. The fact we weren’t notified is either an oversight or a confirmation that our ‘relationship’ has changed. Perhaps if we worked at improving relationships with our suppliers more, they might be more understanding of our value. It’s my belief that it’s not ‘our shingle’ which is broken.. it’s our spirit which is damaged.
I think its the new owners of ACP showing that they prefer supermarkets. It’s no surprise to me that the Bauer people didn’t tell us. Why would they want to share bad news when they prefer to tell us just the positive stuff.
This closer move by Bauer with Woolworths is sure to hurt them as it is just another example of how little we mean to them.
At my woolworths too. Thanks ACP Bauer for screwing us over. You emailed us saying you;re investing 2.5 mil. So much for being transparent NOT. next time tell us the full story.
These cookbooks cost me money. I have no special display stand, they arrive with a long return date and there are at least a dozen titles that sit on the shelves for anything up to a year taking up $900 per sqm space. Meanwhile they have my cash. They are all going back and new titles will be returned in the month they arrive. Ditto mini cookbooks. There are enough other cook books not to bother any longer.