Are newsagents dying? No, newsagents are not dying. Australia has somewhere around 2,500 newsagency shops and while some have closed in recent years, the size of the Australian newsagency network is strong, good, and healthy.
I am writing about this today because I see people asking Google and elsewhere Are newsagents dying? I figured publishing an answer would be helpful.
Newsagents are changing. Many do not look like a newsagency any more. They offer non newsagency traditional products and services like high end gifts, clothing, camping goods, pet supplies, books, baby clothes, coffee and more.
Smart Aussie newsagents saw the decline in the sale of print media and the migration of some products like lotteries to online and evolved. I know of newsagents today making two thirds of their revenue selling items you’d not have seen in a newsagency a few years ago. Are newsagents dying? No, not at all. Engaged newsagents are thriving and loving serving their local community.
Less smart newsagents continued to run traditional newsagency businesses. These tend to be the ones closing.
Here’s evidence that newsagencies are not dying: Aussie newsagents sell close to half all magazines sold in shops, a third of all greeting cards sold in shops and a growing percentage of gifts sold in shops and a decent chunk of stationery. Add to this the growing value of categories relatively new to the channel and online sales to Australian newsagencies. I know of newsagents doing hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in sales online.
In regional and rural Australia especially the Aussie newsagency is not dying as these businesses evolve to be more than the newsagency you might remember from the 1980s or before. Today these newsagencies are coffee shops, toy shops, gifts shops, bookshops and fashion shops. These Aussie newsagencies in regional and rural Australia are vital retail in town. Are newsagents dying? No, not at all.
While the local Aussie newsagency offers familiar categories like stationery, cards, magazines, papers and even lotteries, it’s the new areas that new shoppers are coming to see: collectible coins, collector cards, higher end gifts, unique games, locally made personal care and grooming products, the latest books and tasty coffee.
Just because a business identifies as a newsagency it does not mean they identify as what you think a newsagency is. The local Aussie newsagency today could be a shop offering anything at all. The name, or the shingle, is less relevant than ever.
Are newsagents dying? No. More proof of this is the number of new newsagencies opening. At Tower Systems, the supply of software to more newsagents than any other software company, new newsagency openings in the last year have been strong. These are new rooftops.
The local Australian newsagency is not dying. It’s changing is all, and these changes are good, they help sustain bountiful life for the local Aussie newsagency.
The modern newsagency is a vibrant shop in its local community and attracting plenty of shoppers from out of town, evolving to meet the changing needs and desires of their customers near and far. They’ve become destinations for unique finds, from quirky gifts and stylish clothing to locally crafted goods and delicious coffee. This diversification not only ensures their survival but also enriches the local retail landscape, offering residents a convenient and engaging shopping experience.
Are newsagents dying? No, they have a bright future.
I’ve been working with newsagents as a supplier since 1981 and as a newsagent myself since 1996. Sure there has been change and some closures. Bigger than these things is the changes delivered by newsagents themselves. They embrace change and everyday demonstrate a resilience for which they can feel proud.