OfficeMax and Staples (formerly Corporate Express) continue to pitch to newsagents, chasing wholesale stationery sales. Both businesses are US owned. Both businesses also sell direct to the customers or newsagents. Strengthen them and you strengthen your competition.
It doesn’t make sense to me that newsagents would support OfficeMax or Staples. They are our competition. Strengthen them and you strengthen your competition.
While GNS can be challenging, it is a business in the middle of transformative action. It’s different today than a year ago and will be even more different in a year’s time.
Here’s why I think GNS matters and why newsagents should support it.
- GNS is newsagent owned. Our support for GNS shows our support for the one commercially unifying proposition in the channel. If we can’t support a wholesaler we own what hope is there for the channel? For some newsagents, their shares are worth more than their newsagency business.
- GNS is local. It’s an Australian business, employing Australian people and feeding many Australian families. Like Australian newsagencies.
- GNS is a newsagency business. There is excellent newsagency specific knowledge within GNS. This helps us – if we allow it.
- GNS comes to us. Through state based reps and a national round of trade shows GNS comes to us to our back door to our businesses.
- GNS helps newsagents. Through in-store expert advice, GNS can help you re-plan and reinvent your stationery offer.
- GNS is listening. The changes in the business over the last year or so have been driven, in part, by newsagent engagement. Try telling a US conglomerate what to do!
Newsagents have a choice where they source stationery. Those who support GNS support the newsagency channel. Those who support the US companies are, in my view, shortsighted and selfish – they are not supporting the newsagency channel.
I’ve written this of my own accord and without encouragement from or knowledge of anyone in or involved with GNS.
I have written this because of a catalogue I received last week from one newsagent, an OfficeMax catalogue rebranded for their franchise / marketing group. Newsagents pitching this can’t, at the same time, saying to their local shoppers support us as we’re an Australian business. Okay, they can because their newsagency is Australian owned. However – this same business prefers to support a US stationery wholesaler over the Australian, newsagent owned, stationery wholesaler.
I agree but GNS has a lot of improving to do with their on line catalogue. I know what I am looking for but it is not always easy to find. They need to look at the catalogue of other suppliers and make theirs more user friendly. I would not attempt to sign up customers to this site as it is just too difficult to use when browsing. I have seen good improvments with communications but still looking forward to further upgrades.
Carol, I was going to disagree with you but went to the site to view it as a customer and you’re spot on. All it needs though is for the sub categories to list in the left menu bar when a category is highlighted and it would be ok.
GNS, please look into this as it may be why I have had little success getting customers to use the site.
You also find there are no page numbers and when you add an item you are sent back to the start of list. Also if you click on more details and then press return you go right back to the start of list. If I am for instance looking at colouring books thisis most frustrating and I think customers would give up like I do at times. I then go to another suppier to order where this does not happen.
Carol, are you placing your store orders via the Your Local Newsagent site?
If so their direct ordering site for newsagents is far superior. Give them a ring.
I am ordering via GNS direct site. I can find what I want most of the time and oftenhave the stock code or barcode to scan but when searching througg bookd, toys it is frustrating. Quite honestly I am not really aware of the differant buyig groups that we can join through them but I think last year at the fair they were trying to sell us web sites to link customers to GNS and I would like to do this but I think they need to improve the site first. Their is also Offfice Smart but most of the groups are too expensive to belong too. They may build your business in the long term but we have to be able to afford to join in the first place. Making it easier to join would improve their sale. I did have contact with Alex Stewart who advised they are going to improve the site. Soon would be good.
Here here Mark. I have a newsagent near me selling officemax supplied stationery under their franchise name. He says it’s Australian.
The question is why are newsagents going to office max? are they cheaper do they get better terms ? There has to be a reason why one would go else where .
Just curious as to how many newsagents or marketing groups buy in stock from overseas (gifts etc) direct without buying from local (australian)suppliers?
I know i do .
Card companys are they all australian owned or are there a few US ones amongst them ?
I agree with everything else you have mentioned regarding GNS except the buy australian part
shauns how do you go about importing directly from overseas, we do gifts and would be interested in how to go about it.
Shaun it depends on the arrangements between the groups and newsagents – it may be contractual. I suspect we will never know.
In terms of buying from overseas, sometimes this can work well through group buying and cutting out the middleman.
A year on…has GNS improved?
NO