A newsagent attending a recent Hubbed presentation promoted by and held at the ANF / QNF offices in Brisbane says that Hubbed CEO David McLean said that he had an intense dislike of me and intended to bring Mark Fletcher down. He is reported to have said that he has met me to discuss Hubbed. I have never met with or spoken to David McLean.
While I don’t care what McLean thinks about me, newsagents would be better served and informed is he answered the questions about the Hubbed contract I have published and addressed the broader business questions I have raised.
That I publish my personal opinions here on this blog does not diminish the opinions nor restrict how they can respond. I’d encourage McLean to respond to my questions as if they were put at a public forum since that’s what this place is – a public gathering place of newsagents. There are 1,300 visitors a day here. Don’t think of it as a blog but rather a place where newsagents talk. McLean is welcome to respond here as he would publicly at a Q&A session.
Alternatively, I’d welcome an opportunity to put my concerns about Hubbed to McLean and others in a public forum where newsagents can see the Q&A live.
Transparency is key. From what I have seen so far transparency is lacking in what Hubbed has put to newsagents.
That McLean is responding to my questions by attacking me should itself concern newsagents. A more potent response from the company would be to answer the questions, thereby showing that concerns were unfounded. That would be a good outcome for Hubbed and for newsagents.
Newsagents have not yet been presented the complete commercial terms and therefore cannot make an informed decision as to what they are signing up for.
If the ANF was not a business partner of Hubbed it could ask the questions I am asking. If the ANF was not a business partner of Hubbed it could act as an association representing newsagents on this matter.
Newsagents have not been presented clean financial information to show how they will get a return on the Hubbed daily fees + the cost of the retail space used + the cost of labour.
Hubbed has not been specific about how it will drive new traffic for newsagents.
Hubbed has not, from what I am told, addressed in any detail how it will compete with the Australia Post self-serve kiosks.
Let me be clear and repeat what I have written previously – I don’t know if Hubbed is good or not as all of the information to make such an assessment is yet to be released.
What I do know is that Hubbed is an agency service. There are some newsagents who will want to remain agents. Those who want to be retailers are less likely to find the Hubbed agency offer appealing.
The people behind Hubbed should welcome scrutiny if their offer is as good as they say it is and they should attack those calling for scrutiny if what they offer does not stack up.
Mark, from what I have read I have no interest in Hubbed for my business, but do not understand why the ANF would accept a 5% stake in the business, if Hubbed will no answer your concerns why the ANF. Surely this now puts the ANF in conflict being a stakeholder and promoting to the ANF members, what if the business went pear shaped would the ANF and members be liable for costs?
His correct title is David McLean. Don’t demean yourself addressing him by his surname – very pithy.
Gus, You’ll find his full name in the first paragraph. It’s incredibly common to refer to someone by their last name when referencing them in an article. Doing so is not inherently “pithy” and in this context is more likely a literary technique that is used to infer either impartiality or the fact that the author is not writing from a perspective from which they personally know the subject.
Hubbed will fail just like Bill Express, there is no profit in it given the amount of commision they pays, let alone the $7 fee to rent the terminal. At least Bill Express was free when it started.
Peoples — think Western Union and Bill Express and PUT THEM TOGETHER WITH THE ANF and what do you have – A CONFLICT OF INTEREST because the association to whom you have paid your fees for representation for your industry has entered into a commercial contract with these same people when it is their job to do the due diligence that Mark Fletcher (Fletcher being pithy??) usually
ends up doing for everyone and then he
cops flak for it.
Be very wary of Hubbed – we need to be
ridding ourselves of agencies not getting
more of them.
They are the very vehicles that have abused our industry for so long and the ANF has never understood the question let alone found us an answer.
June,
Have a cup of tea and a bex powder and a good lie down. Then look up the word ‘pithy’.
Gus, Jarryd is right as to how I have used the name. Certainly not pithy, not according to the definition of the word. Attacking June for an opinion does not add to the discussion about Hubbed nor does your comment about the post itself. There are issues of far greater substance in debate here.
Gus, you must be very old (like me) to remember Bex powders, therefore I will
put you into the “grumpy old man” category.
ps. I don’t mind being “attacked” – it makes for an interesting day!
Hubbed is on my radar………like a mountain that should be avoided.
June, if only we had time for a bex (or a late afternoon scotch) and a lie down!
I would not even look at Hubbed, we got burnt with Bill Express, and like others have said here who wants to be paid a pittance for the time taken to process someone’s bill. People my age and under pay their bills on line or at the PO if we are desperate, it’s probably only my mothers generation (80-90 year olds) that would use it so in another 5 or 10 years who will need it?
I am sick of people wanting to make money out of Newsagents, have had a guy wanting to put vending machines on MY lease line and a local dry cleaner wanting an agency in MY shop.
NO WAY find some other suckers!
The thing is we don’t know if this is like Bill Express because of a lack of information. Signing people up with less than complete information hurst all involved in the long run.
Has anyone signed up ? maybe they have the answers that are needed .
Personally i have no interest in it at all for no other reason other than not wanting to be an agent for anyone else .
Why is everyone comparing it to bill express when no one even knows the full story .
Mark your questions are valid and your position clear and reasonable. If the oppotunity being offered by Hubbed (and by asscociation / shareholding – endorsed by the ANF) is so good then McLean and the ANF would jump straight onto the blog and address the concerns item by item.
We didnt entertain Bill Express for many of the reasons you have raised with the Hubbed contract. Likewise we left the ANF because of their failure to provide reasoned advice with a clear and unbiased position (not to mention their continued failure to resolve industry issues that go to the core of their being).
A legal agreement is something to be taken very seriously and newsagents are correct in being cautious and to ask the questions that matter and concern them.
My guess is ultimately this involvement makes the ANF potentially liable if misrepresentations are made during the sell in and contract phase.
You reckon they would have learnt from Bill Express, then again its been said that the definition of Knowlege is actually realising you have made the same mistake before.
I guess the ANF Board would have voted to take the 5% share in Hubbed. Would any of them, as individuals, have a private share in the Hubbed business ?
Mr Mclean doesn’t present to me as the sort of person I’d wish to deal with, unless he could publically answer some questions.
#Guth – Pith Off!
Hamish – your comments with regard to the ANF and Bill Express are right on the button. Well said
Mark has not attacked David McLean the individual nor should we. The questions about Hubbed are what I would ask if I was considering it which I am not. I don’t want to be an agent either.
At the Show I discussed Hubbard with the rep at the stand. I did not ask about contracts. When I asked why I had to have another Computer when I already have a 4 station Network I was told that 2 POS vendors had been approached to integrate it with their software but refused to play ball. A different story from Mark. One would have thought Hubbard would be able to run on a Cash Register machine as it is only a PC with MS Operating Systems in a separate window to POS software. I now can run other software besides POS Software on a PC Cash Register as long it is MS compatible (for the appropriate version of Windows).
By the way all that may interest me with Hubbard is the Parcels.
If they won’t me to be interested it needs to run on 1 of my cash registers so I do not have another computer purely for it. As such if this was possible (and I find it very hard to believe it is not) it would eliminate the need for another PC and other peripherals like printers etc can be hung of the PC running it. This should then lessen the cost to the Newsagent as the need for a computer is eliminated.
At the end of the day I was left with the distinct Impression that there will be no meeting of minds between Hubbard and the POS vendors, mainly the fault of the POS Vendors in refusing Advances from Hubbard. This I find exceptionally hard to believe.
I also discussed the 5% share holding with Alf (ANF) and we agreed to disagree on the 5% shareholding though Alf was in no illusions about my Belief ANF should not have accepted the 5% share holding and neither is it the appropriate entity to hold a 5% shareholding.
Peter do you have the name of the person you spoke with. Also,did they name the two software companies? If not, could you ask them?
For the record, Hubbed has never approached my newsagency software company, the largest in the marketplace with over 60% total market share.
No it was “two POS vendors” and I am well aware of your stance which is why I mentioned it and no names were proffered though I did not pursue it either. When I left Hubbed I was distinctly unimpressed especially with the need for another PC and the cost of it. However, on the Day their were only 2 POS vendors I saw at the show.
Thanks Peter. Any time any supplier says anything about another supplier newsagents should ask for the details and note the name of the person saying it. People saying such things need to held to account. There are too many lies being spread.
I’m not writing here about Hubbed as I don’t know, I am writing more generally.
I was talking with a newsagent recently who said something to me abut me which was untrue. I told them it was untrue and offered to prove it. They were shocked that what they had been told by someone else close to ten years ago about we was a lie and that they had believed it all this time.
With the ANF holding shares in Hubbed newsagents cannot trust what they have to say. Mark I support you and your questioning. Like you, I don’t know if Hubbed is good or not. The questions you have asked are questions I have. Unless you get answers I will not be proceeding.
Thanks Keith. I’d like Hubbed or the ANF to host a public Q&A where the questions can be answered for all at one time. It would be a perfect opportunity for Hubbed to deal with the questions. Up to now the company appears to not prefer such an approach.
Kieth what did hubbed say when you asked them the questions . I cannot see hubbed coming onto this blog answering anything so if you are really interested i would be calling them direct .
No Newsagent is going to get rich off Hubbed. The only people who stand to make money if it is a success are people such as David McLean.
Newsagents are crazy for even entertaining the thought.
@Amanda thats not really true for some Newsagents who are really AGENTS this could be well worth there investment BUT I am thinking for Buying groups (Shopping Centre) it will be on no interest.
I would just love for one of the 6 stores that have it to reply on here with their thoughts on it . Mark one of them is a newsXpress store ,do you think you could get them to give us some feedback on here about it ?
Shaun Hubbed wanted to talk to me back in January because of the blog so they respect the forum that exists here. My questions are reasonable. If they have answers I am sure they will respond. They have nothing to fear from truth.
I’m not planning asking any of the trial stores to comment as I expect them to be under confidentiality.
Bretts I don’t think it has anything to do with groups. It’s more about how you see your newsagency: an agency or a retailer. As I’ve noted, it won’t be for everyone. The key is to do your homework as the ANF is conflicted an unable to do this for you.
Listed below is the 6 trial sites cut and copy from the Hubbed website HUBBED.COM.AU. It is available for all to see so it is public knowledge. However it is up the these stores to respond to this blog if they wish or are able to legally. Same goes for Hubbed.
By the way I wish they or Hubbed would respond. At the end of the day it is their choice to respond to this blog. All Mark can do besides facilitating this by publishing this blog is maybe contact people concerned and ask then to respond should they want to. Further Hubbed and its trial sites would be well aware of this blog so once again the ball is in Hubbed’s and the Trial sites to respond should they wish to.
World Newsagency
MetCentre,Shop 11 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000
NewsXpress Crows Nest
25 Willoughby Road
Crows Nest NSW 2065
Mosman Newsagency
890 Military Road
Mosman NSW 2088
Frenchs Forest Newsagency
Forest Way Shopping Center
Ballina Newsagency
91 River Street
Civic Arcade News
65 Adelaide Street
Brisbane QLD 4000
It looks like ANF were shamed in to getting Hubbed to answer some questions similar to the one’s you asked. They made it sound as if it was their own doing and not pressure brought on them from this blog.
http://www.anf.net.au/images/stories/Connect_-_FAQs_for_newsagents.pdf
The email they sent out stated that the 5% shareholding is to ensure they can represent members interests. I don’t buy this claim.
Maybe I am missing something but I don’t see the shareholding as providing any better representation of newsagent interests.
Dean pity they’re not responding here.
I looked at Hubbed Connect yesterday at the GNS fair in Brisbane. Thanks to this blog I went armed with questions. While some were answered, none were answered in a contractual sense. They said Mark you were wrong but the person I spoke to said they had no need to change the contract. It was like trust us were going to do the right thing by newsagents.
In terms of the model of business they are promoting I don’t see that bill payment or photograph printing will generate the traffic necessary to pay the costs. I wasn’t convinced by the marketing they said they would offer.
I wanted this to look better than it looked. I think they have got a lot of work to do.
By the way, the anf must have more than 5% in this when you see how hard they are promoting it. I wish they would work just as hard in fixing magazine supply. Oh that’s right only a newsagent association would do that.
Michael I’m aware of several different contracts floating around. Hold off until they settle on one contract and give you all the documentation you need to sign at the one time so there is no doubt about the total package. That’s if you still want to proceed.
I see little traffic coming from photos now from bill payment.