We have another stand-out issue of Frankie magazine on the shelves of newsagencies. Its soft blue cover is a stand out in the sea of colour in the magazine department – making it the title you notice first in a busy aisle.
Frankie is one of the most important titles we carry because of the shoppers it attracts.
I would like to know how long Frankie has been in Woolworths.
Our last issue was very poor sales and the current one isn’t moving.
I know a lot of the local boarding girls school students used to buy from me but I see them less and wonder if they pick up a copy while buying lolllies and other bits and pieces at the supermarket.
Jenny, I agree – my sales have dropped quite significantly since I saw Frankie in my supermarket (3 steps away).
I find it quite bemusing when I (yes, I personally) have pushed this product in my store since issue 1 and I have supported this company all the way. No
more Alf, I will only keep what I can sell and you can have the rest back. I will no longer be asking people if they have tried Frankie mag and “what a wonderful publication it is” because there is no loyalty in this industry and I will now look for a replacement mag that is NOT in the supermarkets.
My opinion is that it lowers the standard of the magazine immensely once it hits supermarket shelves.
Totally agree June!
We have lots of other great mags to introduce to customers, today it will be Daphnes Diary.
Frankie has been in other outlets for ages. It could be that they are paying for a better position.
I started with 5 copies of Frankie and went to 50 (with a lot of work on my part) and I
am only going to work for people who work for me.
I remember opening a magazine section in a Foodland supermarket (who were getting nothing) and I spent a day a week there doing all their returns and marketing etc and when I had built it up to a certain level (it took 2 years of hard work) they applied for, and got, direct from the distributors and I got NOTHING. There was no compensation and no thanks and no
loyalty.
This industry has never learnt the art of working together with its partners and it will be the reason for its downfall.
Oh well, more glassware and more soft toys
at 100% markup (and more)
I forgot to add that I won’t be taking Frankie diary at FIRM SALE this year either.
I think I sold 50 of those too, last year
Hi Jenny and June,
I work on behalf of frankie press and was wondering how I could contact you both to discuss your comments and assist you wherever possible.
kind regards
Adam
Hi Adam, Mark can pass my details on to you.
It staggers me to think that newsagents still think that this channel has any more or less attraction, affection, or focus for print media publishers than any other channel. We are just one of many options for the publishers and they spend as much, if not more time, effort and funds promoting their product in other channels as they do ours, on better terms. Our shingle might still say Newsagency, but that we aint. We are retailers with a print media offer, the same as many others. History would say we should do print media better than others, and I believe we do. But in reality, publishers have left the emotional building.
Yes James, feelings of frustration, anger, disempowerment, seem to be the thread through all these comments. Not a pretty place to be when you own a business.
There will shortly be a defensive backlash reply for those provocative comments from James & Gary.
Adam it would be good for you to share a response here on what people have said.
To others commenting here – Frankie in supermarkets is to new. Get over it. Do your best to create and promote your own point of difference in this competitive world.
We are owed nothing and we owe nothing.
Not angry or frustrated just disappointed with sales, this title certainly does not attract customers to my shop.
I accept that publishers need to put their magazine wherever to increase sales but I would rather give this space to titles that are exclusive to newsagents and do attract shoppers.
Solution? Early return? Something I have avoided for the last few issues even though sales were slow.
Not a defensive backlash, just my thoughts.
Look at your sales through the on-sale. We selling right through. We have four outlets in the centre with the title. We’re in good shape.
Our sales of Frankie are steady and about 4-5 better than 18 months ago. That in a town with 5 supermarkets and another newsagents. I appreciate the strength and consistency of this title and although it has had one or two editions that we felt under performed, it bounced back with a little attention to placement in the store.
Why would you not order a product you sell 50 of? It doesn’t punish Frankie or their readers, it only punishes you as you miss those sales and the chance to market other products to those customers.
Chris there will be a tipping point where newsagents do turn their back on titles and or a whole distributor. With Frankie I see no reason to do this as they are not treating us unfairly. Sales are up year on year for us and nationally for the title. It attracts a valuable shopper, one we can leverage and serve better than supermarkets.
These customers are in the market category we want. They have disposable income and like the notion of shopping in small local businesses.
You have to ask yourself, if you were a supplier you would want the biggest exposure you could get for your product wouldn’t you? The main thing is that all retailers are on a level playing field and no one is treated any differently to anyone else.
Thanks for the feedback and the opportunity to respond. As most of you know, at frankie press we’re always open to your feedback and do genuinely take it all onboard. As a result of this, we’ve worked hard at ensuring supply is tightly managed in order to prevent oversupply and early returns. frankie has been a strong performer in tough trading conditions and continues to buck the trend by delivering copy sales growth. While we have been in supermarkets for 5 years, newsagents remain our focus and our brand extensions and annuals remain exclusive to newsagents. We greatly value your contribution to frankie’s growth and we will continue to support you.
We are always happy to hear your feedback, so please feel free to contact me anytime adam.b@frankiepress.com.au.
Best wishes
Adam and the frankie team