I am in Cairns today for the last of the current round of Newsagency of the Future workshops. It’s been terrific evolving the workshop as I’ve gone around the country talking with newsagents in many different situations.
Yesterday, I shot a video of a shorter version of the presentation. This should be available from the blog in the next week. Slides need to be integrated and some other post production done.
Elizabeth Knight wrote and excellent article for Fairfax papers yesterday about newspaper publishers News and Fairfax. It outlines the challenges and provides background on the moves of the two media giants.
Beyond our connection with Fairfax and News products, we also share the challenge of business model reinvention. Knight provides quotes as relevant to newsagents including:
The key to who wins the performance war rests with the company that best adapts to the new environment.
Both media bosses have the herculean task of convincing investors they have discovered the mutant gene that will allow them to adapt more quickly to the new challenge.
We have to convince banks, landlords, non print suppliers and our fellow shareholders. The size of our task is as big as for News and Fairfax if on a smaller scale.
Newsagents are the flavour of the month with digital ad companies. I’ve been approached by four digital ad companies wanting to put screens over the last two weeks. I’ve said no to each.
I see these digital ad platforms as not offering fair compensation to access out traffic. Further, I don’t see them bringing in new traffic.
Our focus today needs to be on generating new traffic. The last thing we need is another leech product or service.
The masthead of The Australian was partially covered yesterday with a sticker promoting a $10 28-day home delivery / digital subscription offer.
While the masthead and editorial content coverup is disappointing, the offer itself got my attention. For 35 cents a day subscribers get the paper (six out of seven days) and digital access. The usual price – as promoted on the sticker – is $1.42 a day (over seven days).
The cynic in me wonders how much the subscription offer is about driving digital subscriptions compared to print subscriptions. If you look at the subscription offers for The Australian you can see that a six day home delivery subscription is $8.95 while a seven day digital subscription is $2.95. On that basis, News is indicating that printing and distribution cost $6.00, or $1.00 a day. Take away newsagent commission and the delivery fee and then factor in the cost of printing and trucking the newspaper wonder how much News makes from print. The digital product is 100% News. The key is reader engagement with advertising and whether News can get to a point of making anything close to advertising from digital as it does from print.
So, I do wonder how much these bundled, print and digital, offers are about migrating people to digital. Overseas experience indicates that it’s a successful strategy for growing digital engagement.
As a retailer selling newspapers I don’t like these stickers as they seek to get people engaging less with my newsagency.
The results from my quick phone recharge survey are in and while one could reasonably argue my survey questions were leading, the results from 137 participants make sobering reading for Optus, Vodafone and Telstra.
I hope the telcos take time to read what newsagents think and what they want. They would be ill-advised to ignore the results.
Newsagents want a better deal when it comes to phone recharge. 100% of respondents said they were unhappy.
Newsagents think the telcos treat them unfairly. 99.3% said they felt unfairly treated.
Newsagents are prepared to walk away from from offering the slim margin service unless margin improves. 31.1% say they plan to move away from selling mobile phone recharge / top-up.
Newsagents want to make more money from mobile phone recharge. 18.2% said they want 8% commission minimum, 28.4% said they want 9% – 10%, 19.3% said they want 11% – 14%, 29.5% want 15% to 19% and 4.5% want 20%.
Click here for a full copy of the survey results and see for yourself.
The question is, are the telcos listening? Will they show that their words of support for newsagents are real or will they show them as hollow?
The only parties the telcos need to deal with are newsagents and their commercial representatives. I’m told they are talking with associations. This makes no sense as the associations have no direct commercial relationship with newsagents. The associations are not marketing groups, franchisors or managing any levers with which to encourage newsagent engagement.
I was grateful for the opportunity to speak at the Lottery Agents Association of Victoria conference yesterday in Melbourne. It was terrific seeing a large room full of retailers giving up their Sunday to network with others and talk business.
The agenda was varied, full of challenges to build stronger and healthier retail businesses. I really like one day conference events. People retain more. There is also an urgency since you only have a day to cover your messages.
Talking with people in the breaks I met people embracing change in their lottery businesses and newsagencies. Suppliers too – breaking with tradition and encouraging retailers to make independent moves. Very encouraging.
For my part I put together a session picking up on some of my Newsagency of the Future themes as well as consideration of the opportunities we find in change in retail.
The free Newsagency of the Future workshop this week are:
Click here to book online or email bookings@towersystems.com.au. This session is open to all newsagents and suppliers.
In a move that I expect will divert purchases from newsagencies, a South Australian fuel retailer has announced plans for substantial fuel discounts for lottery purchases and other product category purchases.
With this happening in SA, I wonder how long before we see it in the 7-Eleven owned Mobil fuel outlets.
When Tattersalls did the deal with 7-Eleven they said Tatts products would be at the counter add-on. Over time that has changed with lottery tickets featuring in advertising to drive traffic.
Now we have this announcement in SA yesterday. I don’t want to call it prematurely but I do suspect that this move is a game changer. It will certainly get newsagents looking at the lottery category more carefully. How can they compete with this.
And to those outside SA, On the Run is more community connected and more local than the supermarkets. I’m told there will be more trust in this being a genuine offer that is the case with Woolworths and Coles fuel discounting.
In the Newsagency of the Future series I’m in the middle of I challenge newsagents to contemplate business without lotteries. It’s a value question, one that must be considered. Now, in the face of yesterday’s announcement, it is more timely than ever.
If you have lotteries in your newsagency and had a fuel outlet nearby offering a discount off fuel with a lottery ticket how would you react? You can’t do nothing for to do that would invite migration.
On the Run has declared war on lottery product sales with this move. Newsagents need a plan for confronting this challenge.
For some time I have thought that points based VIP / loyalty cards offer retailers little differentiation. Besides them being in use in many retail businesses, I have felt there is a real doubt among shoppers as to their genuine value. They are decades old after all.
FlyBys and Everyday Rewards are the market leaders in Australia and they educate shoppers that they need to spend thousands to get even a small reward. No matter how much small business retailers might say their program is different, if it’s points based it will be considered to be the same as these programs and offer similar value.
Shoppers are fatigued by loyalty programs. Some doubt their value. Others are sick of carrying cards. Others don’t like the promotions sent.
Retailers launching a VIP card today rarely offer anything new. Too often they reward shoppers for average behaviour.
It was with this background that I got involved in a very different approach to shopper loyalty. I wanted something that got shoppers behaving above average so that my business performed above average. I am fortunate to have a software company through which I could play with my ideas.
Around a year ago through my software company I started work on creating a front-end approach to shopper loyalty, an approach that did not use points or require shoppers to carry cards.
In February this year I started a secret trial in one of my newsagencies and soon thereafter expanded this to a second newsagency. now, three months later I have an excellent set of data showing shopper behaviour. The data show how the new approach to loyalty, called Discount Vouchers, changes shopper engagement on the shop floor – driving basket depth and margin dollars banked from shoppers.
More important, Discount Vouchers give me a point of difference to the decades-old VIP and loyalty card programs. This point of difference is driving word-of-mouth and generating its won traffic.
I have personally had shoppers tell me how their behaviour has changed because of the Discount Vouchers. In one case, two months in, we won a customer who will spend $1,200 a year solely as a result of this program.
I wanted to trial it in secret as I was not sure how such a radical approach to shopper loyalty would work in a newsagency. Now, three months on, and comparing my own experience to the experiences from trials in three non-newsagency retail businesses, the results are the same. Shoppers love it.
From a retail management perspective I control voucher value and the items on which the value is calculated. I also control what can be purchased using the voucher. I can also change these business levers at any time without a need to retrospectively change past vouchers.
There is no paperwork for shoppers and no paperwork for sales staff. This program is easier that VIP and loyalty cards, it saves time.
When shoppers redeem a voucher we gather details to go in the running for a monthly prize draw – harvesting contact details for future marketing.
Having run a VIP / loyalty card program and other loyalty programs, I am confident that in Discount Vouchers I have a point of difference appropriate to today’s shopper and able to give me a competitive advantage in a world of shopper fatigue with VIP / loyalty cards.
The free Newsagency of the Future workshop series has started. Over 2 hours I’ll outline options, explain why newsagents must act today and share insights from those who are acting. The locations are:
Click here to book online or email bookings@towersystems.com.au. This session is open to all newsagents and suppliers.
The free Newsagency of the Future workshop series starts next week. Over 2 hours I’ll outline options as I see them, explain why newsagents must act today and share insights from those who are acting. The locations are:
Click here to book online or email bookings@towersystems.com.au. This session is open to all newsagents and suppliers.
Check out the report in The Age today about UK retailer ASOS. They’re flying in nearly 4 jumbo jets of product into Australia each week. Free shipping is helping drive this. Many local Australian fashion retailers are paralysed by the extraordinary impact overseas retailers are having on their businesses.
How we shop has changed forever, not just for fashion but for almost everything. Fashion is the category in focus because of far greater perceived value from online.
The front page of The Australian Financial Review yesterday carried a story headlined Plan to help newsagents. It was about the launch of Hubbed, a new business venture backed by Matt Handbury.
From the opening paragraph, Michael Smith’s report reflects, in my view, sloppy reporting.
Former magazine industry chief turned book publisher Matt Handbury is back with a new venture he hopes will breathe like back into the struggling local newsagency.
Matt Handbury hopes to turn a profit. Newsagents provide a network that could be useful to him. He has not invested in Hubbed out of a love for our channel. We serve his need for a retail footprint.
Handbury should tell it like it is and not treat us in such a paternalistic way. We’re more knowing and more independent than back when he last dealt with newsagents.
Smith’s article says there are 4,400 newsagents in Australia. While it is hard to nail an exact figure, I’d put the total number at no more than 3,800.
Smith quotes Handbury about Hubbed:
I thought ‘wow, I like that because it is going to keep the newsagents going’.
If Handbury really thought that then Hubbed must be set to generate $50K or more gross profit a year for each newsagency involved. I don’t see that happening. The numbers quoted in the article don’t make sense.
The article is built around the notion of Handbury saving the channel. More sloppy work by Smith and the AFR. The article says the plan is to install Hubbed in hundreds of newsagencies – even on my numbers it’s a fraction of the overall channel. How will he save the rest? The article has no balance.
Smith makes out that the Hubbed offering is unique. The reality is that more than 1,500 newsagents today offer parcel collection services and have done for close to a year. We also offer gift cards – hundreds of corporate branded cards if we want to carry them. Some of us also offer financial services. And, yes, some of us offer magazine subscriptions.
My point is that Hubbed is not as unique as the AFR article would have us believe.
A Hubbed kiosk will need around one square metre of space including access areas. In a shopping centre, a newsagent will be looking for somewhere between $8,000 and $10,000 a year GP without considering labour, operating and opportunity costs. In a high street and regional situation the return could be less. My estimates blow out the moment a newsagent has to spend any time on Hubbed.
There is also the question of what this looks like to shoppers? Is it at the front of the store? If so, the opportunity cost would be significantly higher.
My other concern is whether Hubbed is a net traffic generator. Will it bring in new traffic or will it rely on our existing traffic. If the latter then it is off less value to newsagents. The last thing we need is a product or service that relies on our existing traffic.
I know from my benchmark studies that there are newsagents doing very well, creating new models, building strong and profitable businesses. Hubbed will not be for them as they have moved away from the agent model on which Hubbed appears to rely.
Now for my back story on Hubbed…
I was approached by them in January this year. They wanted to meet and present the idea. I get approaches like this all the time and have developed some barriers / bullshit metres to stop my time being wasted.
Through a series of emails over five days, they wanted me to sign a confidentiality agreement. I refused. I could see no reason for it. It came across like they wanted some form of support or endorsement from me.
We never met because I refused to sign the confidentiality agreement. In one of the emails they said they were launching this with the ANF. I asked if they had a commercial relationship with the ANF? They refused to answer the question. All communication ceased.
The ANF question is important to me. Associations have no place being involved in commercial enterprises. The ANF track record on due diligence is poor – look at Bill Express … they did no due diligence at all, aggressively promoted it and it cost newsagents tens of millions of dollars.
If there is a commercial relationship between the ANF and Hubbed it needs to be declared from the outset. Also, the ANF would need to be transparent with newsagents on the due diligence it undertook in relation to Hubbed. Has the business plan been professionally reviewed by the ANF for example?
For the record, I don’t have any product or service that competes with Hubbed.
Hubbed could be excellent, only time will tell. Right now there is too much smoke in the way to know. The sloppy AFR article only adds to this. My advice to interested newsagents – approach it with your eyes open. Do your research.
I am a firm believer that we create our own success. Yes, we have some supplier challenges but we often do ourselves no favours in how we deal with these. Today more than at any time in our past we have more control over our newsagency businesses. We decide if we grow, we decide if we fail and close.
In May I am exploring how we create our own success in the free Newsagency of the Future workshops. My Sunday newsagency management tip is that you should book to attend. I don’t want to sell you anything. My goal is to give you insights and motivation to create for yourself a more successful newsagency business, a business you enjoy more
I promise you will be confronted by:
I’ll cover these and other topics using 2013 examples and data in an entirely new workshop I am creating for you this year. This is a vitally important session for newsagents who want to build businesses of more value. The locations are:
Click here to book online or email bookings@towersystems.com.au.
This session is open to all newsagents and suppliers.
Check out the story at Tech Crunch about Google installing its first first parcel pickup unit, BufferBox, in San Francisco. This is a rapidly moving space and the US preferred model appears to be self-serve. The photo is from Mike McCauley (@mmccauley on Twitter).
The latest newsagency sales benchmark report delivers mixed news on the performance of the newsagency channel. Traditional products deliver poor news while newer product areas deliver good news. The bad news is that the results are not uniform. The gap between newsagencies continues to widen, making it difficult for suppliers to transact with the channel uniformly.
Here are the results:
Overall newsagency sales decline. 51% of participating newsagencies reported a decline in revenue. This is an improvement on the previous quarter. Of those reporting a decline, the average was 5% – also an improvement. Of those reporting growth, the average was 5%.
Traffic. Customer traffic was down for 50% of newsagents recording an average decline of 2% in the number of transactions.
Basket depth. 48% of newsagents reported a decrease in basket size (items in the basket) with an average increase was 1.8%.
Basket value. 57% of newsagents reported an increase in basket value – with an average of 3.2%. While newsagents are selling fewer items, they are selling more expensive items.
Product mix. Traditional newsagency lines – newspapers and magazines – suffered the most, again. This should be very concerning to newsagents and their suppliers.
Discounting. The decline in discounting identified in the last quarter remains evidence for this quarter with only 27% of participating newsagencies reporting discounting of any significance.
The gap between the performance of the traditional newsagency and one chasing change is more evident than ever. The traditional newsagency is the type of business reporting the most significant decline whereas the newsagency pursuing new lines is the type of business reporting growth.
This newsagency sales benchmark study is based on an analysis of sales basket data from more than 150 newsagencies – city and country, shopping centre and high street, banner group and independent.
Benchmark results by key departments:
Magazines. 83% of newsagents reported an average decline (in units) of magazine sales of 6.3%.
Women’s Weeklies is the category reporting decline in more stores with 89% of all newsagencies in negative. The average unit sales decline for the category was 7.6%. With Women’s Weeklies accounting for, on average, 25% of all magazines sold, the scope of the decline is a concern. We have to ask ourselves: what are we doing about this? While it is easy to blame the products, we must also look at how we treat the category. Maybe doing the same today as what we did ten years ago is part of the problem here.
In the 11% of newsagencies reporting growth I specific categories driving this. For example, in one newsagency, partworks sales are up 300%, delivering 18% of all magazine sales. In another newsagency, craft title sales are up 11% and food titles up 13%. Talking to some participants achieving category specific growth, they put it down to strong local interest and specific attention by the business in this.
In a couple of newsagencies reporting magazine growth undertaking a whole of department magazine relay was put up as the reason for success.
Too many newsagents are bystanders with magazines. They do the bare minimum. While the magazine distribution model to newsagents is unfair and puts us at a competitive disadvantage, there are growth opportunities for newsagents. It takes work. The rewards are worth it.
Newspapers. 83% of newsagents reported an average decline of 6.7% in newspaper sales. Regional newspapers did not suffer as much as the capital city dailies.
Greeting cards. 43% of newsagents reported average growth of 5.1% revenue growth. Of the 57% reporting a decline, the average was 6% with some as high as 22%. If you’re reporting a decline in card sales you need to work on how you display the product, refreshing your offer and engage your staff with the category.
Stationery. 57% of newsagents reported an average decline of 3%. This continues a trend in newsagencies in relation to stationery. It feels like businesses are giving up.
Ink. 44% of stores participating in the study separate ink sales data allowing further analysis. 42% of these stores reported ink sales growth of 5%.
Gifts. 61% of the newsagents in the study have a separate gift department. Of these, 89% reported average year on year growth of 7%. A year ago I suggested that gift revenue should equal around a third of card revenue. Today, I see this as a benchmark, but one that should be passed if you’re more well-established in gifts.
Plush. 10% of newsagencies report on plush sales in a separate department. I recommend this. A reasonable sales benchmark for plush is revenue equal to 25% of card revenue. In stores reporting on plush, sales are up on average 19%.
Tobacco. 73% of stores with tobacco products reported a decline.
Confectionery. 53% of store reported an average decline of 2%.
Toys. 82% of stores with the department reporting growth of 5%.
Newsagencies continue to be good businesses to own. They respond to attention. There is good evidence of this in individual store data I have seen. The average newsagency with a retail model 10, 20 and 30 years old is the type of business in trouble. It’s unlikely to be doing anything to insulate against the changes we see impacting traditional lines.
The best type of newsagency to own continues to be the one where you have the most control over what you sell.
We create our own luck, now more than ever.
ABOUT THIS STUDY. This study is based on sales data collected from more than 146 newsagents across Australia. These newsagents represent five banner groups as well as independent operators. The only common thread among the newsagencies is that they all use the Tower Systems newsagency software. Around 63% of newsagents with a computer system use Tower. I have eliminated data from businesses where I knew that unique local factors impacted on the sales data.
I have announced dates for more Newsagency of the Future workshops. I’ve added dates for Cairns, Gold Coast, Albury, Geelong, Hobart, Darwin, Canberra and Newcastle.
This workshop series is based on entirely new content, relevant to what we find in 2013, based on what we learnt last year.
Newsagents, would be newsagents, newsagency employees and suppliers are welcome to attend. Access is free.
This workshop is designed to get everyone owning their future. We can’t rely on any supplier or association to deliver it to us. We also can’t rely on the newsagency shingle to deliver any upside.
I’ll look at the very latest retail trends, agency business versus retail, why size does not matter and how we can thrive in this world of change.
This two hour workshop will present a roadmap for those who want a roadmap, insights for those who want insights and hope for those seeking hope for the future of the newsagency business.
I have finalised details for a capital city series of new Newsagency of the Future workshops.
Presenting fresh content with a fresh 2013 perspective, this two hour workshop will present a roadmap for those who want a roadmap, insights for those who want insights and hope for those seeking hope for the future of the newsagency business.
Much has changed in the last year. T2020, retail trends, the economy, newsagency sales, what we sell, how some suppliers treat us. Now more than at any time in our history, the future of our individual businesses is up to us.
I’ll talk specifically about ho to move your business from average GP (28% to 32%) to 50% (and more) GP and why this is essential.
Anyone is welcome to attend a Newsagency of the Future workshop – newsagents, suppliers and others. You can book booking form or by booking online.
Each workshop is free and will run for around two hours.
Venues will be finalised in the next week. They will be centrally located and should have access to parking.
I will also be organising dates for Hobart, Newcastle, FNQ (either Townsville or Cairns), Albury, Canberra and the Gold Coast.
The Zoodle new retail concept from WH Smith I mentioned in December continues to evolve. The Melbourne airport store is more complete today – as one would expect. There is no mistaking the focus of the business – it’s all about kids. They are using excellent signage in-store to direct you to key sections. They are also using well-known brands to attract shoppers. Being able to see Scooby Doo and Hello Kitty high above the product from a distance outside the store is very smart.
I could imagine that a Zoodle shop in a major Australian shopping centre would do excellent business.
It’s almost worth newsagents booking an international flight out of melbourne just to look at Zoodle live.
Well done WH Smith.
Check out a panorama view of one of my newsagencies yesterday. This captures the focus of the business and shows off how present product and don’t rely too much on posters in-store.
Click on the image for a large version.
This store is three months in and delivering an excellent GP, well above industry average.
I am questioned several times a week by potential newsagents and existing newsagents about the state of the retail channel and its future – at the individual business and channel-wide levels.
Last week I received an email I share here:
I got your contact details from the Australian Newsagency blog as I am looking at taking on a newsagency that recently closed and was wanting to get some information support to assist with my decision making process. I don’t have any previous newsagent experience but I have some retail experience and my background is accounting to a fairly senior level in corporates.
Everything I read indicates that newsagencies are a declining business but I was hoping to get access to information that would support my analysis and provide ideas to ensure that a business would have the best opportunity to be successful.
My correspondent asks common and good questions. Here is my response. I share it here to reflect publicly my thoughts on this.
Newsagency businesses can be excellent businesses or dogs of businesses. It all depends on what you make of it.
The traditional newsagency is dead there is no doubt about that. by traditional I mean a mix of low margin products, relying on others to drive traffic.
If you create a business that is fresh, offering what local shoppers want and with a retail feel that is relevant it will do well. The keys are to be in control and own the business as a retailer and not as an agent.
This is the future … newsagents stopping being agents and becoming retailers, best practice retailers in a tough, competitive but fascinating world of retail. These are our days to shine, to reinvent our businesses to become fresh and exciting, to the swatch of retail – they turned the dying watch business around and made it desirable and highly profitable.
So, are we dying? yes, the current old school model supported by some dinosaur operators. The new approach is thriving. I am seeing businesses with excellent growth. Those who complain the most about the current model and question the optimism of others will often be from the old school. Beware.
In taking on the new business, focus on traffic drivers, margin drivers and basket builders. These three combined are our future.
I’m happy to expand the discussion from here…
One of the challenges we have as a channel is how we talk about the channel – in our businesses, with family, with friends and to others we pass along the way. Too many talk the channel down. Too many who have exited or are about to exit complain.
The future of the channel is vital for those here today for the long haul and for those coming into it tomorrow. They (we) are the future. What we make of it is up to us.
In all of the challenges we face today are opportunities. I see many newsagencies doing very well. Yes, some are failing and doing poorly.
Overall, I’m optimistic.
Media Report on ABC Radio National this afternoon looks at newsagencies, T2020, the disruption of digital to print product, the challenges of retail and other opportunities facing Australia’s small business newsagents.
I recorded an wide-ranging interview with Richard Aedy, host of Media Report, for the program last week.
You can catch this on Radio National, online and via podcast.
I helped a customer Thursday who could not seem to find what they wanted. The cake decorating magazine, the supermarket doesn’t have it. I showed her our range – the last three issues and explained that newsagents are the best businesses for magazines. We had a chat about this, she agreed but explained that sometimes it was easier to add a magazine to the weekly shop than make a special trip to the newsagency. Why come to you when it’s only for a magazine? Gee that stung.
As we parted, the shopper said you need more magazines like this, holding the latest copy of Cake Decorating above her head. Yes we do. We need more special interest titles that people will go out of their way to find and purchase, regularly.
It is fringe and special interest titles that provide the channel with its best point of difference.
The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week was terrific. Beyond the gadgets and fun items, there was some very cool technology of relevance to retailers. Some new and some and extension of what I got to see last year.
For commercial reasons I am not going into my insights in detail here. However, I will note that what I saw at CES reinforced my view that we are facing continuing significant changes in retail.
How, when and where people purchase will change beyond what many of us imagine today.
New technologies will be embraced by shoppers wherewhere – city, country and rural. Retailers in shopping centres, on the high street and in rural and regional centres will be affected.
While I have been saying this for a while, seeing new hardware and software last week has reinforced it for me. I plan to share more detail in the next Newsagency of the Future series.
As I talk with newsagents about their October – December sales as part of the latest newsagency sales benchmark study, T2020 is often raised as a driver of change in the business. Newsagents tell me that they are making changes to their shop because of T2020 and the effective break up of the traditional multi layered newsagency business.
This is a good thing, newsagents making conscious business decisions. While I understand the pressure many are feeling as a result of T2020, the motivation to look at the business and to plan for change can only be considered to be good.
Some newsagents are embracing the retail only opportunity with gusto, some are tinkering at the edges and some are waiting.
When you consider the challenges and opportunity in retail this is not a time to wait. Outside of T2020, we retailers need to innovate in terms of products and service. We need to prove our relevance in every transaction. Too much of what we sell, even those of us with diversified products, is available elsewhere.
In the early review of the benchmark data I am seeing some terrific success for newsagents who are innovating. Most growth is in gifts but the term gifts is not appropriate given that this can and does cover a myriad of product categories. As newsagents evolve as retailers it will be interesting to see how far we push into gifts.
In the meantime, T2020 remains an excellent opportunity for newsagents, to take it as encouragement and motivation for significant change in 2013 no matter which course you decide on.