According to David Daniel, Trade Relations Manager at the NFRN, who is the author of the current industry guidelines to retailers on the display of adult and lads mags titles: “Not only is such an accusation untrue, but if quoted accurately it is potentially actionable. The NFRN’s guidelines on the display of Adult Titles and Lads Magazines was drawn up in consultation with the Professional Publishers Association (PPA) and have been supported by the Home Office, Department for Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) and Trading Standards Officers, prior to adoption by all the news industry retail associations.
The fundamental recommendation in those guidelines is for retailers to display “lads mags” away from children’s titles and above the eye line and reach of young children.
Unfortunately, despite widespread adoption of the guidelines by retailers, organisations such as Mumsnet will not be satisfied until Lads Mags are either displayed from the top shelf or encased in plain sleeves.
Whilst it is understood that certain multiple retail groups have agreed to plain sleeving, the NFRN feels that it is highly unlikely that these retailers will be doing that themselves and it is more likely that publishers and wholesalers are being forced to do this at their own cost as a condition of stocking. Of course, no such help is being offered to independent retailers. In addition, there is a fundamental difference in competition law between what a supermarket head office can instruct its store managers to do, whilst the NFRN must refrain from making recommendations that could have an adverse affect on the competitive position of a third party (e.g. the sales of lads mags) which could be construed as a anti-competitive collective action.”
Whilst the NFRN supports the objective of protecting vulnerable young children, we hope that Mumsnet will accept that the UK’s 30,000+ independent retailers need a solution that they can operate in the real world – achieving the goal of protecting young children – whilst allowing them to get on with the legitimate business of selling newspapers and magazines.
Mumsnet has to accept that our display guidelines cannot accommodate 6 feet tall 15 year old children, not even their own “top shelf” solution achieves that, but our guidelines do offer a common-sense solution that safeguards vulnerable youngsters, that retailers can reasonably adopt.. and are doing so overwhelmingly. At the same time we must also accept that there is an occasional “rogue” retailer who completely disregards the wishes of his customers. We would expect in those circumstances, customers will elect to police the display guidelines themselves and shop elsewhere.”
