Almost every day there is optimism reflected in one or more posts here. While one or two think the benchmark results published today are negative, the results are actually positive because of the good news being experienced by some newsagents.
Optimism is in the eye of the beholder.
One of several items of good news in the results in the card department in my own newsagency. In a shopping centre with plenty of competition from majors as well as independents, card sales are up 16% year on year.
Others can achieve and are achieving similar success.
This is good news for the channel as it shows that independent newsagency businesses can compete – even when selling the same Hallmark cards that are in two supermarkets, two majors and several independents. Our independent newsagency competes on service and value and the result is 16% year on year growth.
This is good news as other newsagents can achieve this too. Sure it’s hard work and involved detailed business planning and running your own race sometimes against what a supplier wants. The results speak for themselves.
It’s not too late for newsagents to reinvent their businesses and to chase their own optimism.
Does Hallmark pay for this fit out?
Our figures are turning the corner and trending upwards despite falling magazine and paper sales but the REALLY exciting thing is the margin increase which makes even small increase in overall sale more valuable than is first obvious.