Author: Mark Fletcher

Publishers have the power to educate and influence public opinion through the powerful medium of magazines. Taking simple steps toward sustainability makes them look good and feel good about their product.

This is the opening pitch by Co-op America’s Magazine PAPER Project an important project designed to encourage magazine publishers to support to make environmental commitments which preserve the health of forests, human health, and communities.

Around 240 Barnes & Noble stores throughout the US will run in-store promotions highlighting magazines that use recycled paper in support of the Magazine PAPER Project. Kudos to Barnes & Noble for this move!

This is an opportunity for Australian newsagents to show their environmental credentials. We could get behind a similar push here to support magazines printed on recycled paper.

This small size Glamour magazine appears to be drowing in traditional magazine fixturing:

I understand that they are publishing in this format for other retailers, in the meantime we have to find a way to make their preferred size work – as we do for the growing number of small format magazine titles.

Publishers pay merchandisers to dress up their titles in newsagencies. Too often, this work requires them to take space from other titles as this photo shows. While it looks good for Lifestyle Pools, it detracts from the titles on either side. It’s disappointing primarily because it happens when your back is turned. I don’t want to stop the merchandisers from visiting but rather have them engaged in work which respects the other products we have.

Of 100 people participating in a poll around the world, including four in Australia, 71% said magazines are a relevant medium in today’s world.

At our Watergardens location, a greenfield location open not even two months, it is interesting to see that the growth in magazine sales is coming from special interest titles more so that the weeklies.

While we have the weeklies in prime position, visitors seek out the special interest titles which they cannot find in our part of the shopping centre. It reinforces the importance of magazine range as a point of difference and is providing us with an opportunity for promoting this new business.

This is the new magazine feature display at one of our register points created by our team at Forest Hill. They have brought together a good range of Christmas themed titles from a variety of categories including food, craft and home/living.

Since we do not have a shelf displaying magazines along the counter, this stand is our main magazine impulse purchase opportunity at this counter. It is proving to be valuable space for us.

By displaying this range of magazines we not only connect with Christmas shopping – which is well under way – we also demonstrate the breadth of our magazine range – something we take every opportunity to achieve.

We change this stand every 7 to 10 days – Christmas titles will get two shots.

Kudos to the folks at Handle magazine for placing their latest issue in a resealable bag. This way, browsers can browse the magazine and the accompanying DVD package and put it back into the bag.

At least the facilities are there to keep the product merchantable – as opposed to the many other magazines in sealed bags which are ripped by browsers wanting to try before they buy.

It is good to see a publisher attuned to the needs of newsagents and their customers and prepared to try alternatives.

Interesting to see Rolling Stone and J Mag choose Summer Heights High characters for the cover their respective latest issues.

We’re banking on Ja’mie and Jonah helping us achieve additional sales of both titles – we co-located copies outside the usual music display area.

Rove McManus is hot in the eyes of magazine editors with four covers this week. Judging by sales from several newsagencies I have seen I’d say the editors are right. Woman’s Day is doing especially well.