Merry Christmas and thanks Fairfax. More than 75% of calls at my software company this week have been from newsagents asking how to handle bumper editions for The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and Australian Financial Review. Fairfax didn’t tell us about the bumper editions – they rarely do. We found out from newsagents last week, did further research and published an advice sheet by mail, fax, email and on our website. Because of the time of the year and lack of forward advice from Fairfax, newsagents are calling us with many questions. It’s frustrating being hammered with hundreds of calls every day this week for something which has nothing to do with us. The software handles it beautifully if our simple point-form instructions.

In their post, Goodbye Supanews and a big F*&% YOU!, bunz ba nunz blogs about being dumped by Supanews along with, reportedly, another seven Supanews employees. The blog post is a reminder to all employers that blogging empowers anyone, including employees and former employees, to publish anything. I found the post through a Google search.

The Supanews Bayside North store is closed today. When asked, the security guard stationed out the front of the shop indicated that the closing is at the instruction of franchisor. The franchisee has blogged about some, possibly unrelated, issues in the past.

Newsagents with years of success are being told they must undertake an accredited retail training course if they purchase or open another newsagency. The course must either be a Certificate 4 in Retail or the Australian Newsagents Federation industry specific week long course. The requirement for conpetency training is established by suppliers who decide if a newsagent is to receive supply dirct from them.

When the training requirements were established in 2004, the suppliers (News, Fairfax, ACP Magazines and Gordon and Gotch) agreed with the ANF Board that existing newsagents of good standing would not be required to undertake the training. There has been no explanation to newsagents when and why this changed.

I’ve owned my newsagency at Forest Hill in Victoria since February 1996. By any measure it’s a success. To force me to undertake training if I buy another newsagency would stop me further investing in the channel. Respect must be shown by suppliers to successful newsagents of good standing. Requiring such training will encourage us to not invest again in the channel.

I’m told that a newsagent gained a temporary injunction late last week stopping a newspaper publisher from taking the newsagent’s distribution territory, and with it their business, away from them. The publisher apparently cited a clause on the newsagent agreement which gives them permission to kneecap the small business without cause. The matter is up for another hearing this week.

Each year, my software company recognises the three fastest growing newsagencies in its our community of more than 1,300. The FAST 3 AWARDS are based on same store year-on-year growth in unit sales. There is no pitch to judges and no formal entry process. It all comes down to business numbers. We use unit sales because it eliminates the impact of price fluctuations. Data from the finalists is verified to ensure it has not been manipulated an that the win is fairly earned. The winners this year are:

Mornington Newsagency (VIC)
Clifton Beach Newsagency (QLD)
Greenvale Newsagency (VIC)

Each has grown unit sales in core categories of newspapers, magazines, cards, stationery and other areas way beyond the industry average. As part of the award they will share with other Tower Newsagents how they have achieved such stellar results.