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Newsagents lash regional daily over cover price rise

Furious retailers have hit out at a leading regional daily claiming margins have been cut after a cover price increase.

The National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NRFN) says some of its members are now “reviewing their support” for the Yorkshire Post.

It says the cover price of the Saturday edition has gone up 10p from £1.50 to £1.60, but the “retail margin dropped from 23 per cent to 22.18 per cent.”

The weekday margin has been cut from “24.28 per cent to 23.3 per cent, with the cover price increasing to 75p.”

Ian Simpson from London News and Toys, in York, said: “Due to the latest round of Yorkshire Post price increase and a reduction in terms again, I have taken the decision to remove all point of sale items and will refuse to do any promotions with this company.”

NFRN news operations manager Jerry Hayes and National Councillor James Wilkinson met senior executives from the newspaper to see if they “could work together to restore the margin.”

The NFRN said: “Members from the district have said that the offer of redress does not go far enough.”

The Yorkshire Post has so far declined to comment.

3 comments

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  • May 2, 2014 at 9:12 am
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    JP cost cutting affecting those that can least afford it, yet again. I would imagine Ian Simpson is one of many that will no longer do any promotions with the company. At one time in-house promotions were a great advert, but now the quality of creative work has fallen. The Yorkshire Post, for example, is still using old mastheads in the ads. When they can’t be bothered to get their own advertising right, what hope for retail advertisers?

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  • May 2, 2014 at 11:52 am
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    The NFRN are a joke.
    They do nothing to work with local publishers to pro-actively try and grow sales. Lots of talk but very little action (we all know that in this game!)
    Most sales are now made via non members – supermarkets, convenience, PD etc etc – channels that have moved with changing consumer needs and habits. Traditional CTN sales are declining at a much higher rate than any other as newsagents cut costs and reduce home delivery rounds, refuse to move with consumer trends or close down. The NFRN fail to address this.
    Their members have seen an increase in the pence per copy margin they make on each sale. The Yorkshire Post have increased this by 2.6%. Gross turnover from each sale will increase by 7%. They have done nothing to earn this!! And yet still they are complaining?
    The world has changed and local newspapers no longer owe traditional newsagents it handed on a silver platter. They need to move with the times and earn it like the rest of us.
    Wouldn’t we all like a pay rise of 2.6% in today’s landscape….!

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  • May 3, 2014 at 11:52 am
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    I have been selling papers all my life , I start at 4.30 am deliver up to 100 (180 on Saturday )yps 364 days a year my van covers 30 miles a day , we promote , sell , deliver and deal with there customer base day in day out , so please don’t call me a joke I don’t know where your gross figures come from , but we are getting an extra 1/2p ,, .05% with inflation running at 2.5% ,, the main reason why copies down from ctn is because they are shutting and walking away or can no longer make a living from just selling papers

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