Here is magazine sell through rate data at the MPA category level for Network Services titles supplied to a newsagency.
Click on the image for a larger version.
Ignore the last column as the month was not complete when the report run. The eleven months prior offer damning evidence for some title categories.
A consistent sell through rate of 50% is necessary for break even in the newsagency from which I have this data. They are losing money in more than half the categories from Network Services.
It is data like this a newsagent could use as cornerstone evidence supporting a claim of unfair behaviour by a magazine distributor.
To magazine publishers I would say – here is the data newsagents have. Plus they have it down to the title level. I have not published that here as it would surely upset some publishers. It disgusts me to see a title consistently selling at 22% each month or less for every month of the year.
This is what is causing newsagents to reduce floorspace allocation of magazines. It is not a new situation.