We have Disney products in store from seven suppliers and it’s all working a treat – including the Christmas themed edition of the Disney Sweets & Cakes partwork. While this is the lowest margin Disney products we have, we are leveraging it as the add-on purchase to other Disney hero products including the excellent Frozen range.
The Agatha Christie Book Collection continues to work well for us. While volumes are not large, supply is consistent and our customers loyal. Customers receive a text message when the next issue is in. We easily track who has collected and who has not as each customer’s copy has their name and barcode. The labour invested is minimal. This is a somewhat rare example of an efficient and reliable part series. More please.
Several newsagents have contacted me about the freight costs in sending boxed of unsold part 1 of new partworks back to the distributors. My experience is that distributors will cover this if you contact them and explain that the allocation of oversupply is their responsibility. If the supply model was more accurate such wastage could be avoided.
I was talking about this with a non circulation product supplier recently. They were shocked that newsagents had to pay to send back unsold stock, especially where newsagents had no say in the allocation of stock in the first case.
We have been promoting the launch issue of Great British Locomotives Collection with train magazines and it’s from here, on the floor in front of the train magazines, that we expect to sell out. There is nothing special about the placement other than the location itself.
I share the frustration of others about the partworks model. Rather than complaining about it or trying to fix what they will not fix, I make the most of the opportunity with as little cost as possible.
Newsagents have been sent the launch part of the How Your Body Works partwork. It’s a re-launch actually – of a successful partwork from a few years back. It’s coming out a bit late with Father’s Day in full swing then Halloween and then Christmas. Space is tight and will only get tighter. We have allocated limited space to the launch (relaunch).
With Doctor Who media coverage and social media interest at fever pitch we are making the most of the first issue of the Doctor Who partwork with placement in the aisle where Doctor Who titles are usually located. We are also pitching this launch issue in two other locations.
This launch is helping with and benefiting from all our other Doctor Who products.
Narooma News published a comment piece this week about partworks that’s worth a read.
I am fortunate to have been sent a preview copy of the launch issue of Military Watches by the artworks team at Gordon and Gotch. Military Watches launches on June 23 with the Australian Naval Diver watch – in an excellent salute to the Australian market.
I know watch people. I am certain they will like this series. The regular issue price, after part 2, will be $19.99 – good value given that you get a watch with each issue.
This is an excellent collectors opportunity. While allocations are controlled by the UK, the Gotch partworks team is committed to supporting newsagents who support the title through the 80 parts.
While I love artworks launches I wish they were better spaced out. We cannot do the launch of Sew & Stitch justice. While we found an aisle end for it, this is the worst promotional position in store – down the back facing the men’s magazines. We have no other space. Launching this title away from the other recent launches would have given it a better opportunity.
We are promoting the Your Model Railway Village partwork launch in our partworks section as well as with train magazines – leveraging the TV campaign on air right now. Partworks do well for us – they currently account for 16.75% of magazine sales.
Partworks are important for newsagents because they are a habit based product and because partworks shoppers have one of the best spending profiles of a destination shopper in a newsagency.
While there are occasional supply challenges, my most recent experience is nothing but positive.
While the Disney Cakes & Sweets cake decorating partwork continues to sell well for us, the bigger benefit is that it part of a broader Disney opportunity for us. We have Disney products from four other suppliers and this enables us to tell a bigger Disney story.
It falls on us as retailers to source branded products with which we can tell a story and thereby achieve more from products which, on their own, may not have sold so well.
Brands like Disney licence their products to suppliers who can extend the reach of their brands. This is why we see several suppliers of licenced brand products. Put in the work to connect the dots and it pays off through a better retail story.
The Disney brand is back in right now and almost anything can sell from a magazine to a gift costing well over $100.
We are loving the sales being achieved with the Star Trek part series. The customer it is attracting is good for us and the impulse purchases to existing customers are excellent. With easter and Mother’s Day we do not have room for a front opt store display at the moment. Our sales are being driven from in the newspaper aisle where we have given over twelve pockets to the title.
The Easter theme of the latest issue of the cake decorating partwork is an excellent opportunity to promote magazine as part of the Easter pitch. Indeed, this issue could be used to attract shoppers interested in cake decorating who then browse the broader Easter display you have on show. This is another way to leverage magazine sales into a deeper and more valuable basket.
While we are actively promoting Sovereign of the Seas with prime placement in-store, we could have done more had the publisher and distributor provided better support. At the very lease a floor display unit should have been provided to help us disrupt traffic with the opportunity. We’re only making 25% GP so it is reasonable to expect the publisher to invest.
On March 17, Star Trek The Official Starships Collection launches through Gotch. Given the interest in Star Trek and similar products I’d expect this to sell well. However, indications from Gotch are that they have not been allocated a huge amount of stock.
Gotch will be using sales for Batmobilia to guide allocations.
I’ve been sent part one of Star Trek The Official Starships Collection. It’s impressive. Trekkie colleagues like it and wanted to know launch details.
The launch in an opportunity to range other products that will sell to Trekkies – this wis when we can bank margin dollars off the national TV campaign supporting the launch.
Here we are handling part 44 of the The Agatha Christie Book Collection part series and we have customers continuing to collect. While sales or partworks fall off a cliff after the first one or two issues, there is enough residual business and traffic to warrant our continued embrace of the opportunity. For us the keys to success with partworks is a structured approach and tight management.
