In this video, Mark Fletcher holds up a copy of A Companion to the Australian Media, published in 2014. He wrote several pages for it — a section on Australian newsagencies, capturing the channel as it stood just over a decade ago.
It’s worth reading now, because the gap between then and now is significant.
Visit ten newsagencies today and you’ll find ten different businesses. Gifts, toys, cards, collectibles, books, homewares — the format has fractured entirely. Newspower, Nextra, and newsXpress all carry the word “newsagency” in some form, but the stores operating under those banners look nothing alike. That’s not a problem. It’s proof that the generic model is gone.
The pressure points are not subtle. Newspapers and magazines are down in double digits and falling. Stationery is in trouble in stores that haven’t rethought it. Lotto is moving online faster than most operators would prefer. Greeting cards are still holding, but one category does not carry a business.
The newsXpress approach is to move toward what works locally — high-margin gifts, collectibles, boutique product ranges — rather than defend a format that the market has already left behind. Members who have made that shift are trading well. Waiting for conditions to improve is not a strategy.
The history is worth knowing. The book is worth owning. But the business decisions have to be about what comes next.
Not all newsagency businesses are the same, as we note above. Those with a future are those that are moving, outside what’s expected, beyond the traditional, and this is exciting for the owners, those who work in the shops and the communities in which they thrive.
While we 100% respect every newsagent, the truth of the data is undeniable – the future newsagency businesses will be those playing outside of history, and that matters plenty.
newsXpress works with newsagents of all sizes, shapes and situations. We help newsagents enjoy their businesses more and set themselves up for a brighter future as a result. It’s hard work, rewarding work.
Our focus is on local, independent and willing.
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newsXpress supports small local independent retailers to thrive. Find out more at help@newsxpress.com.au.