There will be 500 independent retailers across the UK watching their magazine sales more closely than usual this month.
The reason behind their vigilance? These independents are members of the National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NFRN) that have been chosen to take part in a project to make extra copies of top-selling magazines available to NFRN members this autumn.
The campaign is a joint initiative between the NFRN and the PPA which will run for three months. If it proves successful, the partners will consider the potential for running regular campaigns across a larger cross-section of independent retailers.
Publishers of top-selling titles such as Cosmopolitan, Top Gear and Look have agreed to make additional copies available for the campaign. In return retailers have agreed to display these copies, giving them the best opportunity to sell.
For the PPA, the launch of the Autumn Availability campaign marks a positive step towards addressing the concerns among independent retailers regarding magazine availability. The efforts are being co-ordinated through a sub-group of the PPA’s Retail Marketing Group (RMG), which has been set-up specifically to investigate what can be done with independent retailers to improve availability and ultimately drive sales.
Independent retailers are hugely important for magazine sales. By tailoring their range with a selection of niche and specialist titles most relevant to their customer base, independents can create a real point of difference from multiple stores.
By definition, this differentiation also means that each independent retailer’s demands are unique: each has a different set of top 100 titles which will depend on factors such as geographical location and the demographic profile of the store’s customer base.
This situation creates a delicate balance for the magazine supply chain, since the high production costs for certain titles make them prohibitive to oversupply. The challenge for publishers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers, therefore, is to ensure that consumers are provided with the right product at the right time, and the Autumn Availability campaign is an encouraging cross-industry step in the right direction.
In tandem with this work, the PPA is also pushing ahead with efforts to drive retail sales in the key areas of Shop Save and Home News Delivery (HND). These channels provide retailers with access to a full range of over 3,000 magazines through their wholesaler, irrespective of whether they stock the titles on their shelves.
A survey of retailers that took part in a trial of the PPA’s re-launched Just Ask initiative to promote Shop Save and HND found that 70 per cent felt the scheme should be rolled out nationally. Work to develop Just Ask is currently being carried out by the PPA’s Retail Marketing Group in a project called ‘Developing the Magazine Category’.
Further to these initiatives, PPA is also supporting the independent sector through the creation of best practice guidelines and through advice and support at industry events and trade shows.
Through this multi-pronged approach to drive sales, provide support and training, and address availability, the PPA is aiming to reinforce the important role played by magazines in the independent sector, to the benefit of both retailers and their customers.
