Our Press for Reform campaign received a huge shot in the arm this week with an article published by Roy Greeslade on the Guardian website advising that Labour’s media spokesperson Helen Goodman has given us her backing by writing to both media secretary Jeremy Hunt and OFT chief executive John Fingleton calling for a Competition Commission referral.

In her letter Ms Goodman outlines the problems newsagents face such as cuts to margins, rises in delivering costs and poor service from  news wholesalers.

She adds how this has led to 11.5 per cent of independent newsagents going out of business or giving up selling newspapers and magazines.

Ms Goodman told the newspaper that  she supported our ‘Press for Reform’ campaign because “independent retailers provide their communities with an important service.  ”Without smaller retailers, we risk sleepwalking into a monopoly of larger companies who will control the sale and the selection of the publications on sale.

“Keeping more independent retailers on our streets is part of Labour’s ongoing campaign to improve our highstreets and to give shoppers more selection in the shops that are available to them.”

Much to the delight of independent newsagents in the UK, the Daily Telegraph today announced price rises on its weekend and Saturday editions with the maintenance of pro rata retail terms.
In a letter to the retail trade, Telegraph head of circulation Peter Hickman said that this would generate more than £30 million per annum in additional revenue for retailers as well as contributing more than £7m per annum in additional retail margin.
From this weekend in the UK the Saturday edition rises by 10p to £2 and from Monday it will increase to £1.20.
Meanwhile, in the Republic of Ireland from this weekend the Saturday edition of The Daily Telegraph will increase in price by €0.20 to €2.00 and the Sunday edition will rise by €0.10 to €2.00. From Monday the weekday editions will have the new price of €1.30.
Such action does of course beg the question, if the Telegraph can support newsagents in this way then why can’t the other national newspapers do so too?
Commenting on the Telegraph announcement, NFRN National President Kieran McDonnell said: “This move is a fine example of the way in which newspaper publishers and retailers should be working together.“The cover price increases on the Saturday and weekday editions are welcome in themselves, but more importantly, it is heartening to see the publisher recognise that pro rate margin increases are vital if independent newsagents are to survive.

“I would therefore like to thank and applaud the Telegraph for this action and would urge all NFRN members to give the newspaper publisher their full support.”

It was standing room only when more the NFRN held a  mass meeting in Leicester on Tuesday (November 8th) in protest at the move by the local paper to increase the cover price of its Saturday edition by 20p yet give nothing to the retailers.

More than 100 angry members turned up to protest at the move which sees  retailers selling the Leicester Mercury are now receiving a margin of just 16.33 per cent – the lowest in the newspaper industry.

 e protest meeting at Leicester’s Jungle Club was organised byLeicester president Deepak Tanna and the NFRN’s local retail development manager Julie Smith.  Among those attending was the Federation’s national newspaper operations manager Bob Scott.

It came just days after appeals from the NFRN for the newspaper publisher to think again fell of deaf ears.  Management at the Leicester Mercury had blamed rising paper costs and lack of advertising for the need to increase the cover price on the Saturday edition.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, many  members reported a drop in sales as a result of the move, with home news delivery customers in particular cancelling orders. Others said they would no longer be displaying the title in their stores.

Ahead of the meeting Mr Scott took to the airwaves to tell BBC Radio Leicester listeners how the Mercury’s actions could impact on the survival of independent newsagents and threaten home news delivery operations, which were a lifeline to the old, infirm and those without transport.

At the meeting it was agreed the Federation should step up its activity against the newspaper.  Letters are to be sent to all Mercury advertisers warning them that local newsagents are in dispute with the newspaper publisher and that any individual action by retailers could prevent their advertisements reaching the consumer.

The NFRN is also writing to other newsagents within the newspaper’s circulation area to make them aware of how the move will impact on their businesses.  A follow up meeting is planned for next month, with an invitation extended to Leicester Mercury management to attend.

Hundreds of newsagents will be protesting in Leicester tonight following a decision by the local paper to increase the cover price of its Saturday edition by 20p and give nothing to the retailers.

Indeed the move means that retailers will receive a margin of just 16.33 per cent – the lowest in the newspaper industry.

Officials from the National Federation of Retail Newsagents, the organisation which represents independent newsagents, met with the Leicester Mercury last week when the newspaper publisher claimed lack of advertising and increased paper costs were to blame for the cover price increase. Despite protests from the NFRN, the Leicester Mercury refused to change its decision.

Now hundreds of members of the Leicester NFRN branch are meeting tonight (November 8th) at the Jungle Club in Leicester in protest at the move, which they say could force more local shops to close and the end to their home news delivery service which is a lifeline to the elderly, infirm and those without transport.

Our Press for Reform Campaign culminated in the launch of our manifesto – the Public Affairs strategy for the year – at the House of Commons at a gala reception on 31 October.

As Press for Reform is the key campaign for 2011-2012, it marks the first chapter on News and Magazines.

To read about it, and the rest of our campaigns for the year simply click on the link below;

NFRN Manifesto

When the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) made its decision not to refer the newspaper and magazine distribution sector to the Competition Commission (CC) it cited that it’s primary interest was in the protection of consumer interest and that it felt a market referral was not in the consumer interest.

Well, in three weeks, 20,000 consumers who use our members’ shops disagreed by signing our Press for Reform petition.

The petition that hit member’s shops called for consumer support for their small shops that are currently suffering under the operational monopoly of the multiple wholesale distributors.

This means that, while retailers are managing the decline of the sector, they are being faced with arbitrary delivery charge hikes, married with ever decreasing profit margins and consistently poor service.

The 10 Downing Street Petition called upon the Prime Minister to support the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport (CMS) Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt, and Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable, to use their powers under the Enterprise Act 2002 to refer the market to the Competition Commission for a full Market Investigation Report.

Of the 20,000 signatories, 452 MPs constituencies were covered and the NFRN is now writing to all of those MPs to lend their support to the campaign.

The petition is hugely important in calling into question the OFT’s assumption that retailers’ interests are anathema to consumer interests, and this is illustrated perfectly in a statement made by Karen Bradley MP (Staffordshire Moorlands) who delivered the Petition to the Prime Minister:

“It is incredible that, in less than a month, 20,000 customers of independent newsagents across the country signed a petition in support of a Competition Commission review of the newspaper distribution sector. In considering whether to make the recommendation for a referral, I should think the OFT would find it hard to ignore this overwhelming support from consumers: the business case and consumer support are clearly there to make the referral.”

You can help too by using our letter as a guide to write to your MP and back the campaign too.

For more information or assistance on the parliamentary arm of the Press for Reform campaign, please don’t hesitate to contact Niki Haywood at niki@nfrn.org.uk

Magazine publisher IPC Connect  is disadvantaging consumers for failing to provide separate copies of individual titles when it runs multipack promotions, claim the NFRN.

This week  the publisher has produced a multipack containing a copy each of Woman and Woman’s Own and, despite reassuring NFRN members otherwise, has not supplied retailers with individual copies of Woman’s Own.

NFRN National President Kieran McDonnell said: “The issue is about consumer choice.  Some consumers are happy to buy the multipacks and get two titles for a discounted price, whilst some still prefer to buy the single title.  What is absolutely wrong though is removing the choice between multipacks and single titles and, in particular, forcing home delivered customers to take the multi-bagged version, and having to pay for the second title even though they have not ordered it.  That is why publishers MUST still supply the single titles along with the multipacks.  This practice of sending out multipacks without making separate copies of the magazines involved has to be stamped out as it is costing consumers money as well as lost sales and embarrassment for retailers.

“We are aware of many customers up and down the country who are unhappy about being supplied with two titles – one of which they did not require – and having to pay more for the privilege of receiving them.

“This also impacts negatively on NFRN members.  Some newsagents have already reported instances of customers who receive a home delivered copy of the magazine or have a copy saved for them in store cancelling their orders because they don’t want to pay extra for the second magazine.

“In addition some customers already buy both magazines and when they are bagged together in a multipack the retailer loses money.”

Scottish retailers Abdul Qadar and Sharon Douglas put across their concerns about the newspaper supply chain to key ministers when they made the trip south for the NFRN’s recent March on Downing Street.

During a rally on College Green, Westminster, they waylaid Scottish Secretary Michael Moor, Tory MP for Dumfreeshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale David Mundell and Lord Nazir Ahmed and explained how the current practices of newspaper publishers and wholesalers impacted on independent newsagents.

Mr Qadar said: ” Niether Mr Moor not David Mundell could sign our Press for Reform petition because they are cabinet ministers but both have agreed to meet to discuss our plight in greater detail. Lord Ahmed was under no restriction and was happy to add his name to our cause.”

Independent newsagents in their hundreds descended on Downing Street on October 12 to hand over a 25,000 name petition.

Tory MP for Staffordshire Moorlands Karen Bradley delivered the petition to the Prime Minister’s residence while chanting newsagents looked on. They had travlled the length and breadth of the UK to attend the rally and march.

The Press for Reform petition calls for a Competition Commission inquiry into the newspaper supply chain and the abuses that newsagents take on a daily basis from publishers and wholesalers.

Independent retailers up and down the country have been taking to the airwaves ahead of the march on Downing Street this afternoon.

NFRN vice president Alan Smith was interviewed on BBC Radio Derby this morning, Kent district president Christine Southern and chief executive Paul Baxter appeared on BBC Radio Kent, Suleman Khonat spoke out on BBC Radio Blackburn,  and senior NFRN officials Peter Robinson and Martyn Brown featured on  BBC Radio’s Wales and BBC Radio Leeds respectively.

In all instances the retailers set out the reasons why the NFRN was calling for a fresh investigation into the newspaper distribution market as the exploitation of retailers had increased.

 And they warned that if this current situation continued, that more local shops would disappear,  making it more difficult for readers to buy their specialist magazines while home news delivery – a lifeline to the elderly, infirm and to those in rural areas that do not have transport – would be consigned to history.

At 2pm this afternoon hundreds of newsagents are gathering at College Green in Westminster ahead of marching on 10 Downing Street to hand over our 20,000 signature strong petiton. This calls on the government to protect their futures by referring the newspaper industry to the Competition Commission for a full market investigation.