Every couple of days I get asked what I think of GNS and whether I think the business has a future. If I can getting these questions others must be as well.
Whereas a year or two ago such a question was along the lines of GNS being a supplier, today the question usually relates to share value and sale options.
Unless there is communication in the marketplace I have not seen, GNS needs to arrest the concerns being expressed by outlining a leadership strategy that newsagents can feel connected to and optimistic from, strategy that breaking into tactical opportunities with which individual newsagents can feel connected.
I am posting about this today in response to a call yesterday afternoon from a concerned newsagent. They asked I put this post up to see how people here comment. So, here it is.
They are not communicating a clear strategy . Not inspiring confidence. Anyone know if I can get my LEVY money back. I understand that if I sell my newsagency I can get it back. I do not want to do that.
GNS is not a wholesaler for newsagents only, it is appropriate for them to return the levy to us all.
Billy i agree in regards to the levy which im told that new newsagents are not required to pay.Im sure that a process needs to be put in place in regards to repaying newsagents their money.How much will $5000 be worth in years to come some of us don’t want to sell and would like family members to continue in the business.
I would like my levy back too. How do we go about getting it?
X 2 ,Tania
Mark, thank you for bringing GNS up once more. I went to their open day or whatever it was supposed to be last Wednesday, shock horror. As we know when we to Coles or Woolies when you look for bread , milk , meat or ice cream we will find it in the same row all together whereby you are able to compare prices sizes brands etc. GNS for whatever reason has created the biggest mess anyone can image products are arranged in a “best selling” order so if I want to buy say Artline 200 pens in black, blue red and green, I would have to find this in four different location, ns several rows apart the place is a mess small items are hidden between large items you have a huge task of locating what you need I have given up after two hours. GNS IS IN TROUBLE it is time to clean it up and reclaim it for what it was meant for. Newsagents , I have my levy and shares in there we are not talking of a couple of thousand , I think that us Newsagents who are shareholders should call an Extraordinary Meeting of the Board and have them answer some important questions , if GNS goes belly up our industry will be in deep trouble. Mark perhaps you could assist in calling a meeting.
Colin I have no shares in GNS.
The issue has always been the board and its guidance. Unfortunately there is no new blood on the board and no new blood willing to join the board. The only way forward is for Martin Hartcher to dismiss the whole board and start from scratch. I would also suggest that the board is made up of people who have qualifications in management and corporate governance as GNS needs strong leadership. Every level of stakeholder, from employees, suppliers through to shareholders are worried and GNS has done nothing to allay these fears.
Colin,
Thanks very much for your comments on the GNS Open Warehouse afternoon we had last Wednesday.
We did attempt to communicate through email on several occasions that the warehouses have been significantly re-layed, that it was NOT a replica of the old cash and carry, that products were NOT always in the expected order you were used to, that it was arranged for our pickers to be far more efficient, to save space, to pick more quickly etc etc, which was and still is the intention of the closure of cash and carry. Internal picking is based on volume of product movement not grouping all families together, so it is, and never will be, a
“Woolworths”.
It is, however, a working warehouse that we were opening in response to our customers requests. There were many clearance lines of high quality and low price available, day to day stock was arranged in shelving with usual codes and descriptions, we waived credit card fees for the orders received and charged ” pick up and pay” pricing even though we delivered it to you. All customers could have printed off an online picking slip if they required and found the locations based on this, so nothing has changed there. We had over 10 staff including myself available till 7 pm to answer questions and guide people who may have been having trouble finding stock. The response from customers was in general pleasing, sales were good, BUT we are more than happy to adjust timing, product availability, frequency of these warehouse open days in future to satisfy our customers. All feedback will be gratefully accepted. We will re-visit the rationale around some of the product groupings and if there are obvious changes to be made that will fit in with our processes and also make our customers happy, I am happy to ask operations to move these things around.
As always, I am happy to receive any further feedback directly at david.gifford@gnswholesale.com.au
best regards,
David
According to ASIC records, GNS is a public trading trust, at least that is the holder of the ABN on invoices. If it is correct then “shareholders” need to look at their documents and see if they actually have shares in a different company that may be the trustee (although it looks like the trading trust has another trust as the trustee) or that they in fact hold units in the trading trust. If they hold units then they need to refer to the trust deed to see what influence they may have.
Ultimately the unitholders (beneficaries) have little say in the running of the trust except where they can show that the trustee is not acting in their best interest and have them removed.
If they are shares in a public company, which according to the website they are a public company. Then it makes things easier to understand and to access information compared to a trust. I just need to know the name of the company to find out more.
It is a public company.