THE MAGAZINE FOR INDEPENDENT RETAILERS - NFRN · PDF fileTHE MAGAZINE FOR INDEPENDENT RETAILERS @NFRN_online facebook.com/nfrnonline News Letters Public affairs NFRN Awards and much

THE MAGAZINE FOR INDEPENDENT RETAILERS

@NFRN_online facebook.com/nfrnonline www.nfrnonline.com

NewsLettersPublic affairsNFRN Awardsand much more…

ISSUE 144JULY 2017

PIONEERING WARDENSCHEME TO TACKLE

RETAIL CRIMEPAGE 18

This means opening members’ eyes tonew opportunities – be these newproducts, better margins, great deals orexciting services to offer in store – toboost sales and profits. And what betterway to do this then than through ourprogramme of trade shows that are taking place throughout the UK over thecoming months?

I was, therefore, delighted that one ofmy first official duties since beinginstalled as your new National Presidentwas to attend the most recent NFRNevent at Smiths News in Birmingham onJune 23.

To be honest, I didn’t know what toexpect, but by visiting the trade stands Iwas able to discover some exciting newprofit areas for my store and to takeadvantage of some special show deals. I found the seminars enlightening and enjoyed discussing key trade issues and sharing experiences in theopen forums. Although my newspapersand magazines are supplied by MenziesDistribution, I still found it interesting totour the Birmingham house and to quiz

the Smiths News managers on theircurrent practices.

Most importantly, it gave me theperfect opportunity to meet and talkwith local members to discover theirthoughts on the NFRN and what morethey want from their membership.

You can read more about theBirmingham trade show and an earlier one in Newport on page 7. There are alsodates for future events and I wouldstrongly urge you to make a note to goalong and pick up some fresh ideas andinspiration to help you develop yourbusinesses. I certainly hope to attend asmany of the events as I can and lookforward to seeing you there.

Being elected as your NationalPresident is a huge honour and one that Ido not take lightly, but working togetherwith vice president Mike Mitchelson,deputy vice president Stuart Reddish, ournew NEC and NFRN staff, I look forwardto doing everything we can to help youimprove your profitability. That way wecan ensure the long term survival ofindependent retailers.

NFRN NEWSNational news 4-6Local news 9

LETTERSHaving your say 10-11

POLITICAL ISSUESCrime partnership and funding 12

NEWS SUMMITNews supply chain issues 14-17

BUSINESS CRIME SCHEMEA community approach 18-20

ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2017All the news from Torquay 22-29

THE FED’S GUIDE TO...Magazines and newspapers 30-34

NFRN AWARDSSouthern winners announced 36-37

HERE TO HELPNFRN Connect 40-41

SPOTLIGHTWhat’s in Store 45

NEWSPROFrontline summer sales 48Recognising unsung heroes 49

STORE2DOORA guide to sub retailing 51Together with TES 52

NFRN PARTNERSDeals and business opportunities 53

NEWSPAPER MARGINSAt a glance guide 54

DIARYKey dates 55

CONTENTS

Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this publication, no guarantee is given that the information provided is correct, complete, and/or up-to-date. The materials containedin this publication are provided for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal or other professional advice on any subject matter. The NFRN and the publisher do not accept any responsibility for any losswhich may arise from reliance on information contained in this publication. Produced by MYPEC and printed in England.

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öWhereùer one man canhelp another, thank God forsuch a birthright, brotherõ

LINDA SOODNFRN National President

National President Linda Sood

Editor Anne Bingham 0207 017 8887 [email protected]

Editorial 0207 253 4225

Advertising Carolyn Kirkland0207 017 8883 [email protected]

Design & production MYPEC0113 257 9646 [email protected] www.mypec.co.uk

AS INDEPENDENT RETAILERS WE FACE MANY CHALLENGES, SOADDRESSING ANNUAL CONFERENCE LAST MONTH I VOWEDTHAT FINDING PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO HELP OVERCOMETHESE WOULD BE A KEY OBJECTIVE FOR MY YEAR AHEAD.

4 NFRNONLINE.COM JULY 2017

NATIONAL NEWS For latest news, deals and views, go to

nfrnonline.com

Members have given NFRN Connect amassive thumbs up, with the service andsupport it offers receiving excellentsatisfaction ratings in a recent survey.

More than 88 per cent of people whocontacted the team for advice andguidance said that they were extremelysatisfied or satisfied with the service they received.

Nearly nine in 10 said they woulddefinitely use NFRN Connect again andadvised that they would definitelyrecommend the service to others.

Satisfaction with NFRN Connect advisorswas also extremely high. Nine out of 10members said the advisor they dealt withwas professional, courteous andknowledgeable, and nearly 95 per cent saidinformation was communicated clearly andin a way that was easily understood. Morethan eight out of 10 respondents said theywere confident they would receive the

help they were seeking, and 90 per centsaid they felt valued.

The survey discovered that 31.4 per centof respondents contacted the team once a week or more, while 16.7 per cent usedNFRN Connect on a daily basis.

A further 12.8 per cent said they turnedto the team once a month, 20.6 per centtwo or three times a month and 19.6 percent every one to six months.

More than 80 per cent of therespondents said the advisors were verysuccessful at gaining a response fromsuppliers within 48 hours.

Head of news Brian Murphy said: “Thissurvey demonstrates the high value thatretailers place on the service provided byNFRN Connect and that it is clearly seen asa great member benefit and the place togo to for help and advice for any businessrelated issue.

“We are delighted that members who

use this service feel so confident that theywill get a successful outcome and thatthey would use it again and recommend itto their colleagues.

“We will not rest on our laurels though,and will continue to invest in both ourstaff and operating systems.”

Among comments made by membersresponding to the NFRN survey were:

“Very helpful and a great service for themembers.” “The help with news and magshas been really great, and got good results.”“It is a very good service, saving me timeand unnecessary phone calls to newswholesalers.” “Once we get the NFRNinvolved in any dispute they always take itseriously and nearly always get the positiveresult we expect.”

To learn more about some of the ways in which NFRN Connect has helpedmembers recently turn to pages 40 and 41.

SATISFACTION SURVEY REVEALSCONNECT TOPS THE RATINGS

In a new initiative the NFRN and theEngland Illegal Money Lending Team(IMLT) have teamed up to raiseawareness of the dangers of borrowingmoney from loan sharks.

A free ‘Stop Loan Sharks’ poster canbe found inside this edition of The Fedand we would like members to display it prominently in shop windows toencourage customers to steer awayfrom illegal money lenders who maybe operating under the radar withinlocal communities.

The poster will also direct loanshark victims to the help and supportavailable and includes ways to report asuspected illegal money lender.

Tony Quigley, head of service forthe England Illegal Money LendingTeam, said: “We are pleased to beworking with the NFRN and itsmembers to combat loan sharks whoare preying on the most vulnerable inour local communities.

“If you or someone you know hasbeen a victim of a loan shark, we urgeyou to get in touch with the team on0300 555 2222. Your call will behandled confidentially by one of ourtrained officers.”

NFRN chief executive Paul Baxteradded: “Despicable and predatoryloan sharks can blight neighbour-

hoods. We believe that members canplay a role in protecting customersagainst loan sharks so I would ask thatyou display this poster prominently inyour shop to help drive illegal moneylenders out of communities. The posteralso reminds people that there arealternative services that can help.”

While broadly welcoming the £3.7 billionmerger between Tesco and Booker, theNFRN has told the Competition andMarkets Authority that it does havesome concerns.

In its formal submission to the CMA,the NFRN said that it recognised themove would bring investment andinnovation to the sector but expressedconcerns about the dominant positionthe new group would have, as both acompetitor and supplier to theindependent retail sector.

The NFRN called for three guaranteesfrom the new company. Firstly, that thewholesale operation would not be usedby the new company to benefit theirowned stores and symbol groups at theexpense of the independent retailerswho it also supplied.

Secondly, that sales data collected bythe wholesale operation would not bemade available to either the symbolgroups or other stores owned orsupplied by the combined company.

Finally, that independent retailerswould benefit from improvements in thesupply chain and that a fair proportionof cost savings would be passed onthrough the prices asked by thewholesaler operation.

The CMA is expected to publish its initial decision by the end of thismonth (July).

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JULY 2017 NFRNONLINE.COM 5

NATIONAL NEWS

News in brief

PUZZLE PRIZETwo lucky members have grabbedthemselves a £50 windfall after correctlysolving the cash prize puzzle fromPuzzleLife in the May edition of The Fed.Congratulations to Helen Seymour ofEveryday News in Sherburn Village,Durham and Gurinder Hayer of HomeFarm Stores in Whitnash, Leamington Spa.Cheques are on their way to you. To enterthis month’s competition see page 55.

DINNER SNAPSDid you have your photograph takenduring the Gala Dinner at this year’sAnnual Conference and want a copy? To access all the images that were takenon the night visit goo.gl/photos/iFtERnUnjYP1tHiS9 and click on thephotographs you want to download.

HOWZAT!Northern district is holding a social eventat Durham County Cricket ground, TheRiverside, on Sunday August 13. There willbe a 20/20 match starting at 2.30pm andfinishing at 5.30pm, with a cricket tea athalf-time.

INSERT POLLMore than eight out of 10 members saidinsertion payments should be made forcopies supplied and not just for copiessold, in a poll on NFRN Online. The NFRNwill now be writing to newspaperpublishers highlighting members’dissatisfaction at these payments.

REWARDS AWARDA sparkling display led to Wallyfordmember Mohammed Aslam beingcrowned Beer and Cider Retailer of theYear at the 2017 SLR Rewards. The judgesdescribed his offering as ‘exceptional’ andsaid his Day Today shop offered a masterclass in beers, ciders and wine retailing.

PAYPOINT FACTSHEETIn the light of PayPoint’s decision tophase out its yellow terminals andintroduce a new pricing structure, theNFRN has produced a factsheet to helpmembers decide if the service is still rightfor their business. Download it fromnfrnonline.com/campaigns.

BANK SERVICEWith more branches closing andincreased charges on the horizon wewant to hear your views on the serviceyou receive from your bank. Fill in thesurvey at nfrnonline.com/bankingsurvey.

After extensive lobbying by the NFRNnational lottery operator Camelot bowed to retail pressure by reinstating its free retailhotline for day-to-day help and advice.

In autumn 2015 Camelot enraged members by transferring its previously freeretail hotline to an expensive 0844 number.

The NFRN responded by telling Camelotthat retailers would be paying more to usethe hotline than they would earn incommission from selling lottery tickets andscratch cards. The move was described as‘unwarranted and unfair’.

Last month Camelot announced a u-turn,with its new ‘AllStars’ support package forindependent retailers including thereinstatement of the free retail hotlinenumber along with a £4 million plusinvestment in new and extra POS materialsand signage, and increased contact from itsteam for expert advice and support.

Chief executive Paul Baxter said: “Camelotis demonstrating that it recognises the vitalrole that independent retailers play in thesuccess of the national lottery and themoney it raises for good causes.

“The NFRN and its members welcome thisvote of confidence in the independentsector and we look forward to workingclosely with Camelot to generate extra sales.”

The retailer hotline number is 0800 8405060.

Unveiling the Allstars package, Camelot’s

head of retail James Pearson commented:“This new programme has been specificallydeveloped to aid us in forging closerrelationships with our network of 28,000independents, and to enhance the range ofsupport we provide to help them make themost of selling National Lottery products –and so add value to their businesses.

“In the months ahead, we’ll be looking tolaunch more initiatives to further underlineour long-term commitment to our retailpartners. All independents will be receiving a visit from one of our sales executives over the summer to talk through all of thedetails and, in the meantime, we hope thatthey can build on the benefits that being aNational Lottery retailer brings.”

Camelot recently announced that it wascarrying out a strategic review following adrop in sales. This focuses on four areas –commercial plans to boost salesperformance; investment in technology andsystems; the current business structure; andlong-term succession. An update will begiven when Camelot announces its half-yearsales later in the year. Jo Taylor, Camelotchairman, said: “Sales in 2016/17 fell wellshort of where we’d like them to be – andthat’s largely down to a disappointing yearfor draw-based games and Lotto inparticular. There’s clearly work to be done to re-engage players and address theperformance of our draw-based games.”

CAMELOT CONCEDES ANDRENEWS RETAIL HOTLINE

N3 – our subsidiary company – wascrowned top of the shops at theprestigious News and Magazine Awards.

The company was named Retailer ofthe Year at the Awards presentation atthe Sheraton Grand Hotel in Park Lane,London on Thursday May 11.

N3 beat off competition from Tesco towin the award and the judges said: “N3 hasdemonstrated an ability to bring togetherconsistency and compliance to a growingpanel of independent retailers. This is asignificant challenge to overcome.”

N3 directors Brian Murphy and Ray Monelle received the award from Paul Duffy from Mail Newspapers

(pictured centre).Mr Murphy said: “N3 brings together

independent retailers who share a desire to run strong and thriving news businessesand, in return, they receive all the servicesand support that is offered by retailmultiple head offices.

“Over the past year we have teamed upwith publishers to run some exciting andexclusive consumer promotions that haveresulted in double digit sales increases forthe titles involved.

“N3 is still very much in its infancy so we are thrilled that the efforts of ourprofessional and dedicated members have been recognised and rewarded.”

TOP AWARD FOR N3


NATIONAL NEWS For latest news, deals and views, go to

nfrnonline.com

Regional newspaper publisher JohnstonPress has been condemned by the NFRNafter slashing the retail margin it pays on 41 of its titles – in some cases to as littleas 10 per cent.

The massive margin cuts were imple-mented at the end of last month andaccompanied cover price increases ofbetween 10p and 20p.

National President Linda Sood said shewas “absolutely livid”.

“I’m shell-shocked,” she added.“Johnston Press has displayed completecontempt for hard pressed andhardworking independent retailers whoare responsible for such a large percentageof their regional newspaper sales.

“This move is a travesty, made evenworse by the fact that there was no prior consultation.”

NFRN head of news Brian Murphy hadcalled on Johnston Press to postpone theincreases and margin cuts by six weeks toenable retailers stocking the titles todecide whether to accept the new termsor to refuse them, as is their right undertheir terms and conditions of supply.

He described Johnston Press’ actions as “misguided, unprecedented anddownright disgraceful”.

Despite repeated requests, chiefexecutive Ashley Highfield and grouppublishing director Richard Thomson have,so far, refused to meet with the NEC at

Yeoman House in London to explain their actions.

However, in an email exchange with Mr Murphy, Mr Thomson said: “Thechanges are an attempt to put these titlesonto a more sustainable financial footingin order that they can remain incirculation. We will continue to keepdialogue open with retailers locally andhope, after due consideration, they willrecognise it’s better that these titlesremain on the shelf and viable.

“We are not looking to do anythingsimilar on any of our other, moreprofitable titles, any time soon.”

While the NFRN cannot organise or takeconcerted or collective anti-competitiveaction against Johnston Press, weunderstand that members have beentaking their own individual steps toprotect their own businesses. This rangesfrom delisting the titles, removing themfrom display and only handling shop saveor HND copies, or surcharging.

As The Fed went to press, the NFRN was attempting to organise regionalmeetings with local representatives fromJohnston Press.

For members’ reaction to the priceincreases and margin cuts see letters onpage 11.

Advice on surcharging can also be foundin the Guide to Newspapers andMagazines on page 32 and 33.

NFRN head of news Brian Murphy is thelatest recruit to the Press DistributionReview Panel. He represents the retailindustry and replaces our new NECmember Steve Archer who recentlystood down from the panel.

Brian joins the PDRP in anindependent capacity and brings withhim extensive news experience gainedfrom working in retail groups,wholesaling and, of course, at the NFRN.

Neil Robinson, PDRP chairman, said“The newspaper and magazine self-regulatory system helps ensure that theminimum supply standards set out inthe Press Distribution Charter aremaintained and that its complaintsprocess deals with issues fairly andpromptly when things are not right. “The panel works hard in a constructiveway to bring about positive changes that enhance the process. I am confidentthat Brian will constructively contributeto the good work, and in doing so help achieve greater accountability and transparency.”

Mr Murphy vowed to “build on thegood work already achieved, helpremove ambiguities that causeunnecessary frustration and play mypart in ensuring that the complaintsprocess is progressive, timely, fair andtransparent throughout.”

MARGIN CUTS STRONGLYCONDEMNED BY THE NFRN

NEW RECRUITTO THE PANEL

CHARITY CHEQUEDuring his year as London district president RaviRaveendran was determined to raise funds to help acharity that focuses on empowering underprivilegedwomen and supporting and educating orphaned childrenin Sri Lanka to blossom.

So, he was delighted to present a cheque for £1,100 – raised at London’s annual dinner and dance in February – to Blossom House trustee Kanagasabai Anbu.

The presentation was made during a recent London district council meeting.

In total £2,200 was raised during the dinner dance,with the remaining £1,100 donated to the NFRN’s Ratcliffe Fund.

Mr Raveendran said: “I was keen to support Blossom Trust because of the many ways it assists lots of under-privileged people in Sri Lanka. One of these ways is to help women who have been widowed by the war toearn money in a sustainable way. Another project isenabling young students without sufficient funds tofinish their undergraduate courses.”

DEALS GALORE IN KENT


LOCAL NEWS

After successful events with Youings Cash and Carry at Sandy Parkin Exeter in February and at Prime Cash and Carry in Gillingham,Kent in March, it was the turn of wholesaler Smith News to hostthese new networking events. On Friday June 9 retailers from allover Wales and the South West descended on its Newport hub,while the Birmingham house was the venue exactly two weeks later.

Throughout the day visitors could take advantage of specialshow deals and participate in round table discussions on boostingnews and magazine sales, the latest developments in the tobaccoindustry, news allocation and using Smiths News’ new SNapp,before touring the depots to see for themselves the way theirwholesaler operates.

Smiths News management and local NFRN officials and staffwere on hand to discuss any queries and issues that members had.

Commenting after the Newport event, Ian Canning fromPepsiCo Walkers said: “What can I say? Yet another superb NFRN event! I’ve sold out of deals and more importantly spoken to more retailers at this event than our reps can get round to in one day.”

For Cardiff retailer Matt Clark it was ‘an excellent day’. Headded: “I’ve met and spoken to many of our members who donot go to meetings. I’m very pleased with the event and this goesto show what we can do if we all work together as a team”.

Paul Latham, general manager for Smiths News Newport, said:“Despite poor weather and late distribution caused by theGeneral Election result, the turnout was really good, with a hostof people attending the day from all parts of Newport group.”

Member Roy Crawford had travelled 117 miles to attend and said the effort was really worthwhile. “It was a really interesting day and pleasing to see how passionate the team in Newport is. “I would recommend any customer to visit the open days near them as it opened my eyes to how the supply chain works fromstart to finish.”

For our new National President Linda Sood the Birminghamtrade show on Friday June 23 marked her first official visit. For

everyone attending there was a free tray of Booker Euroshopperenergy drinks.

Trudy Davies travelled by bus, train and taxi from Woosnam &Davies in Llanidloes in Powys to attend. She said: “I am trulypassionate about my business and like many independent retailershave to use my time wisely. I have to commend the NFRN team ona fantastic event. The insight and knowledge I gained from thetopics raised at the various seminars will truly benefit my business.My only regret is my train back to Wales meant I had to miss thelast hour! I left with a hunger for more of the same and will mostdefinitely become more involved in future NFRN events.”

Imperial’s area sales manager Peter Mortimer said: “I am reallypleased with what was achieved today. As a company we need toengage with our retailers and this is just one of the many ways forus to do so. There were some very dedicated, passionate andengaged retailers here today and it has been a real pleasure to takepart in this event. My thanks to the NFRN team and Smith News.”

DEALS, DISCUSSIONSAND NETWORKING TOBOOST BUSINESS

WITH SMITHS NEWS BRANCHES IN NEWPORTAND BIRMINGHAM THE VENUES FOR THELATEST NFRN ROADSHOWS, MEMBERSATTENDING HAD THE CHANCE TO PICK UPSOME GREAT DEALS AS WELL AS SEEING FIRSTHAND THE WHOLESALER’S PACKING, VOUCHERAND RETURNS PROCESSES.

TRADE ROADSHOWS PROMOTE

• Thursday July 20, 9am-6pm Suman Bros Watford Joint Backto School and 50th Birthday celebrations.

• Sunday September 3, 11am-5pm South East Region Trade Day,Holiday Inn Winchester.

• Thursday September 21, 10am-3pm Menzies DistributionLinwood.

• Thursday October 5, 8am-7pm Right Price Cash and CarryHayes Trade Day.

• Monday October 9, 9am-8pm Suman Bros Watford Fireworks/Christmas event.

• Tuesday November 14, 9am-4pm Booker Croydon Trade Day.

WATCH OUT FORNETWORKING EVENTS NEAR YOU


WOULD THEY DO THIS?Thank you Daily Mirror for taking the timeto explain your rationale behind yourweekday price increase (Mirror Thanks Youand Mirror Price, Letters, The Fed May 2017).

However, like all publishers, and peoplelike PayPoint and the lottery, you are of the opinion that cost pressures only applyto your business. It is no use having thehighest cash margin on a paper if you then lose a customer because of the price increase.

Cost pressures on the newsagent aremany and relentless. They include minimumwage (I pay more than the minimum wage,but will no longer be doing so as I can nolonger afford to), business rates, wholesalecarriage charges, electric, etc. We have seenmassive increases in these over the lastcouple of years and will continue to do so,yet our percentage margin from all thepapers reduces, and the cash margindoesn’t compensate.My fixed costs are as follows:Based on approximately 4,000 papers sold aweek, my carriage charge works out at 1.5pper copy or 2 per cent of the cover price ofthe Daily Mirror.

Banking costs 0.7p per copy (1 per cent).At £7.50 per hour minimum wage (and

allowing for the cost of holiday pay andnational insurance) selling one paper every15 seconds – which is about as fast as it’spolitely possible to serve a customer –works out at 3.8p (5.5 per cent). Realistically,though, that’s never going to happen.

That doesn’t leave a lot to cover the restof the overheads.

I reiterate, EVERY company with fixedretail prices is guilty of cutting margins or not increasing our cash margin in linewith inflation.Lottery – £1 ticket… lose money.Health lottery – £1 ticket… lose money.PayPoint – any amount… lose money (and it has the cheek to charge you for the equipment).

I can’t think of many companies thatcharge you to make money for them.

Realistically, any shop with one full timeemployee needs to generate £10,000 perweek at 25 per cent to make theinvestment of time, money and effortworthwhile.

My weekly costs are:Wages – one member of staff £365 (holidayand NI inclusive).Living expenses, let’s say my time at theminimum wage for 40 hours – £300.Electric – £120.Accountant – £20.Rates – £20.Water – £5.Banking costs – £100.

Obviously, there are other miscellaneousexpenses too, but to keep it simple:Profit £2,500.Costs above £930.Leaves £1,570 per week.

Out of that if I want a holiday I have topay for cover. If I’m ill I have to pay forcover. I have to pay for a pension and geta return on my investment. All these arethings the publishers and manufacturersforget because these are all covered,usually by a different department, forthem. I would wager than not one singleperson making the decisions on marginswould do what we do for the returns we make.

The publishers and manufacturersshould make an effort to remember whohelped put them where they are todayand it’s not Asda, Tesco etc.

How much do the wholesalers pay forthe papers? Or how much are they givenby the publishers to deliver them?

Aidan Staton, by email.

SIZE MATTERSYou may well have seen our recentannouncement that we are adapting fromthe Berliner format into a more compacttabloid size – I can confirm this is due tolaunch to market in early 2018. This marksan exciting new era for the Guardian andThe Observer’s print offerings and keepsus on track to break-even in two years inline with our three-year business plan.

The changes represent a fantasticopportunity to grow sales of the Guardianand The Observer. We’ll be writing to you again ahead of the changes withopportunities for your members topromote our titles during this time.

Robert Rattley,Head of sales & revenue publishing,

Guardian News & Media.

POOR SERVICEI have a newsagents in Northamptonshire.Since we have been receiving our papersfrom Milton Keynes the service has beenvery poor.

I do not enjoy the monopoly that SmithsNews has with the blessing of publishers.

You can never get to speak or complaindirectly to senior managers and thepublishers do not provide any directcontacts.

Wholesalers don’t even deliver claims.V Patel,

Higham Newsagent, Higham Ferrers.

ANNIVERSARY SUCCESSOn its first anniversary, week commencingJuly 10 2017, The New European is making anumber of significant improvements thatwe are sure will increase our sales and your revenue and profit.

These exciting changes include: Change Of Publication Day – from week

commencing July 10 The New Europeanwill be printed on Wednesday anddistributed to you for sale on a Thursday.One day earlier than current patterns, weare sure this will attract new Thursdaysales, while by leaving it on sale all week,we will retain current readers.

Change Of Format – on Thursday July 13we are moving to a tabloid format. Thiswill make the product much easier for youto display and is in response to recentresearch which suggested 87 per centwould prefer it in this format.

Front Page Layouts – the change informat and better opportunity to displayalso allows us to maximise sales based onour award winning front page designs. Aswell as receiving huge plaudits across theindustry our sales data proves thatimpactful front pages drive extra impulsesales and so your profit.

I am sure you will agree that theseexciting changes are a great opportunityto increase sales, revenue and profit fromselling The New European. Thank you tothose who are stocking and any retailerwho isn’t can order copies on full SORfrom their usual supplier. To maximisesales please leave on sale all week until thenext edition arrives and display with allother national newspapers.

Have your say email [email protected]

HAVE YOUR SAY


As always thank you for your supportwhich is very much appreciated.

Darron McLoughlinCirculation director, The New European.

STILL IN SHOCKNilam and I would like to take thisopportunity to thank you for a greatFriday evening at the Southern RegionAwards.

We had a great time and met and madenew friends. The following day, on seeingthe award on the shop counter, ourcustomers were very thrilled and excited.We are still recovering from the shock!

On behalf of all our customers andourselves, we would like to thank theNFRN, Paul Lloyd and Ralph Patel forrecognising us.

Mayur Patel,Saxon Fields Store, Andover, Hants.

WORKING TOGETHERIt was a pleasure to attend the SouthernRegion Awards which recognises thefantastic achievements of independentlocal stores.

Booker is committed to working withNFRN members to grow their business andI’m looking forward to working closelytogether throughout 2017 and beyond.

Steve Fox,Managing director, Booker Retail Group.

SOLUTION THAT WORKSI’ve just returned from a busy but enjoyablecouple of days on the sunny English Riviera,attending your Annual Conference inTorquay.

Being able to engage directly with theend user of our product was a fantasticopportunity for us and over the two dayswe spoke to independent retailers aboutthe wide range of legal issues that concernthem, including employment issues, taxenquiries, licensing matters and contractualdisputes.

With lawyers charging hundreds ofpounds per hour, the cost of gettinginvolved in any sort of legal dispute couldbe crippling, so it was great to be able toreassure NFRN members about the benefitsof the policy and how it can help with

Have your say email [email protected]

Johnston Press terms – readers’ reactions

Maybe the retailers should stop selling these titles. We struggle enough againstonline news and newspaper margin cuts don’t help us stay in business. It’s about time guidelines were set to stop them making these cuts after everyretail price rise.

Sue Eaglestone via Facebook

Sad day but I have made the decision to no longer offer for sale a number oflocal papers. This is due to their latest price rise and margin cut.

Eugene Diamond @ Ediamond136

LETTERS

advice, assistance, online legal resourcesand vital legal protection.

Clearly, not all retailers are going to face the same issues. For an organisationlike the NFRN looking to provide itsmembers with a product that really meetstheir needs and provides great value,working with a flexible and innovativepartner like ARAG is invaluable.

As a company we have something incommon with such customers who strivefor independence and self-fulfilment. As anindependent, family-owned business, weare free to make our own decisions,without constraint, making independenceour most valuable asset. It provides asignificant business advantage for ourpartners as we are quick, flexible and easyto do business with, enabling us to workout a solution that works for you.

George Bladon,Corporate account manager, ARAG.

Editor’s note: Your NFRN membershipbrings with it free legal advice from ARAG.For claims and advice call the freephonenumber 0330 303 1457 for UK or 01 453 7991from the Republic of Ireland.

SUPPORT WELCOMEThe ‘Have You Got The Bottle?’ campaignis urging ministers to introduce a deposit

return system for all drinks containers inScotland.

We were delighted with theannouncement that the NFRN has publicly given their support for theintroduction of a deposit return system.

Jenni Hume, Campaign manager, Have You Got The Bottle?

MORE EVENTS, PLEASETogether with my daughter, DeeGoberdhan, I attended the NFRN tradeshow at Smiths News Newport on June 9.

When we arrived at the wholesale housewe received a really warm welcome fromthe Federation’s national events managerNigel Smith and our membership servicesmanager Chris Appleton. What a greeting!

We had a great time visiting the variousstands, attending the seminars and the tourof the depot was a real eye opener!

What I want to know now is when arewe having another event like this in Wales?

Vyas Sharma, Cardiff.

USEFUL MEETINGPro active and informative meeting heldby the NFRN at Smiths News, Solihull.Thanks to all, especially Phil Williams foryour help.

Trudy Davies, Woosnam & Davies News,Llanidloes.

I have zeroed my affected JP titles in light of this. Now, even if they were toback down I would not reinstate them. To even attempt this cut is an insult toevery retailer in the country and I for one will not be supporting this companyin any way in the future. Goodbye Johnston Press!

Allister Charles, Charles Newsagents, Ballynahinch, Down, via Facebook


POLITICAL ISSUES

An extensive list of grants and fundingoptions for small businesses across theUK has been put together by the publicaffairs team and can be accessed fromNFRN Online.

A wealth of funding and advice fromcentral government and local authoritiesexists to help businesses invest and growand details of current schemes are listed.

New grants and support will be added to the NFRN website once theybecome available.

For more information on whatsupport your business can receive, go tonfrnonline.com/information/grants-support-business/.

A separate list will be available formembers in the Republic of Ireland.

For more information on what grantsyou can receive, [email protected].

Following a successful meeting withWaheed Saleem, business crime lead atWest Midlands PCC team, the NFRN hasbeen invited to join the West MidlandsBusiness Crime Partnership.

This body seeks to create a safeenvironment for the business communityand wider communities of the WestMidlands by preventing the harm causedby business crime. The objectives of the partnership are to:1. Prevent Business Crime.2. Raise awareness of how business crime

can be prevented.3. Support an evidence based approach to

preventing business crime.4. Early intervention and prevention

approach to be embedded within thebusiness community.

5. Harness the knowledge and resource of the business community to support the vision.

Meanwhile, meetings to raise awarenessof members’ concerns about retail crimecontinue to be pursued. Recently, WestMidlands national councillor HamalataPatel and the NFRN’s public affairsmanager Will Pryce met with Cheshire’spolice and crime commissioner DavidKeane and his deputy Sareda Dirir.

This meeting was timely as there had been a spate of robberies andattempted robberies on post offices and independent retail outlets across the county.

At the meeting the impact that suchcrimes have on NFRN members wasdiscussed and ways for the NFRN andpolice to work together to tackle retailcrime and the growth in sales of illicitsales were shared. Establishing a businesscrime partnership in Cheshire with the aidof local police and administrated by theNFRN was also explored.

FUNDINGFOR YOURBUSINESS

Following the 2017 General Election,Theresa May has returned as PrimeMinister, with the Democratic UnionistParty (DUP) backing her minoritygovernment. The NFRN will continue towork with all parties in raising the issuesimpacting on independent retailers andcontinue to inform the governmentthrough cross-party initiatives such as theAll Party Parliamentary Group on RetailCrime. We were pleased to see theprevious chairman of this particular APPG,Martin Vickers, retained his seat inCleethorpes, Humberside.

Last month’s Queen’s Speech stated

that the government will ‘ensure fairermarkets for consumers, this will includebringing forward measures to help tackleunfair practices in the energy market tohelp reduce energy bills’. For many yearsthe NFRN has campaigned for thegovernment to create a fair energymarket, so this statement is welcomed.

Also in the Speech was a commitmentto increase the National Living Wage,reaffirming a Conservative manifestopromise to raise the NLW to ‘60 per centof median earnings by 2020’. The NFRNwill continue to work with thegovernment and the Low Pay Commission

to detail the true impact the living wagehas on independent retailers. NFRN’s 2017Living Wage Survey indicated that 74 percent of retailers will be reducing staffworking hours following the scheduledincreases in the living wage, while 44 percent indicated they will reduce staffnumbers and 90 per cent of shopkeeperswill be working extra hours themselves.

There was no mention of business ratesreform, which appeared in theConservative manifesto, or regardingmaking tax digital. The NFRN will pursuethe government to see what its plans arefor both issues.

NFRN CONTINUES TOWORK WITH ALL PARTIES

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NEWS SUMMIT


HND retailers and roundsmen had theopportunity to lay bare the impact thatlate deliveries had on their businesseswhen the NFRN held its fifth newspapersummit in London on May 23.

Publishers and wholesalers attendingthe summit – which was entitledDelivering the Future – heard that whilearrival times into retailers during 2017 hadshown a marked improvement on theprevious four years, there was still morethat could be done to ensure thelongevity of the industry.

The summit was chaired by the thenNational President Ray Monelle, who said:“We will all benefit by selling more copiesso we need to work together to find thesolutions.”

Since the previous summit in April 2016when publishers had been urged to bettercommunicate with retailers when their

papers were going to be late, moreinformation had been forthcoming,advised NFRN head of news Brian Murphy.But he explained that when newspapershad been delayed on nearly a third of theoccasions (31.1 per cent) between Januaryand April this year, no reason was given tothe retailers affected.

“The NFRN shares this information withour members,” explained NFRN newsoperations manager Peter Williamson. “Ithelps retailers as they can better explainthe problem to their customers and willhave a better idea of when their supplieswill arrive.”

HND retailers also appealed topublishers to honour their agreedscheduled arrival times into wholesalehouses, rather than having lorries from theprint sites appearing on or just before thecut-off time.

Stuart McClymont, who has a shop andHND rounds in the East Midlands, said:“These are the times that you agreed youwould get your papers into the wholesalerby. The wholesaler has a model that worksround these times. The retailer has an RDT(required delivery time) to enable him tofacilitate a delivery service to hiscustomers. That RDT is the time theretailer needs his newspapers to facilitatehis operation. We need to get you toadhere to your own set times. You needto understand that if you bring yourpapers into the wholesaler early every dayevery RDT will be met, every HND orderand every counter sale will be met. Wewill be able to grow sales.”

Mr McClymont continued: “This systemis fractured so you do not get yournewspapers into the wholesaler until cutoff, so deliveries from the wholesaler get

DELIVERINGTHE FUTURE

ONCE AGAIN, INDEPENDENT RETAILERS, ROUNDSMEN, PUBLISHERS AND NEWSWHOLESALERS HAVE COME TOGETHER TO DISCUSS ISSUES OF CONCERN IN THENEWS SUPPLY CHAIN. THE FED WAS ALSO THERE TO REPORT ON PROCEEDINGS.

LATE NEWS AGAINON THE AGENDA

Simon Gage Peter Wagg Peter Williamson


January to April Performance

later and later.“What you seem to forget is that school

hours are changing. School buses are nowleaving at 7.30am. School aged delivererscan’t start before 7am and can’t do theirrounds in their school uniform so theyhave to go home to change before theycatch their school bus.”

London retailer Peter Wagg warned thatlateness did not immediately result in lostsales because customers who didn’t gettheir paper at breakfast time would pick itup from another retailer on their way towork. “It’s not until the retailer sends outthe bill a few weeks later that thecustomer cancels his order. The only wayto keep HND going is to deliver on timeconsistently.”

Peterborough roundsmen Brian Webb(pictured above, far right) agreed. “If thepaper is not on the breakfast table people

öIf the paper is not on the breakfast table people willaccess the news on their i-pads or phones instead.There are no úifs or butsù about it. We have to get ournews supplies earlier.õ

will access the news on their i-pads orphones instead. There are no ‘ifs or buts’about it. We have to get our newssupplies earlier. The newstrade is stillprofitable and there will always be aprinted copy in our lifetimes, but you haveto get it to me on time every day.”

Tabling the latest NFRN statistics, theNFRN’s Peter Williamson said thatalthough publisher performance hadimproved between January 2017 and April2017 when compared with the sameperiod in the previous year, there were still1,543 instances when papers had been late.

The Mail was the main offender, closelyfollowed by the Daily Express and DailyStar. Yet if publishers committed togetting their papers to the wholesalerhouses 15 minutes earlier, 70 per cent oflate deliveries would be on time. “Thatwould have a massive effect on HND,” Mr Williamson said.

Smiths News publisher and retailaccount director Simon Gage admittedthat the wholesale model was designed tocope with a steady stream of deliveriesrather than every paper arriving at once.But he assured the NFRN that wholesalersand publishers had regular conversationsregarding ways of getting supplies toretailers at the time they wanted them.

Mr Monelle warned that whilepreviously retailers had absorbed any costsassociated with rerunning HND copies,because applying for restitution was timeconsuming and claims for often rejected,with rising payroll costs this wasunsustainable. He said the restitutionprocess should be automated.

Agreeing, Mr McClymont said: “Thetechnology is there. If publishers andwholesalers want HND to continue youmust prove it.”

The then NFRN vice president LindaSood asked if HND retailers were flaggedin wholesaler systems and if it waspossible for them to receive papers firstwhen reruns took place.

Both Menzies and Smiths Newsexplained that reruns followed the primarydistribution routes. Mr Gage added:“Drivers do the same rounds each day;they know the routes and do themefficiently. We would not want to changethe routes for reruns as it could causeextra difficulties.”

From Mr Webb there was a reminderthat in 30 years, retailers had received noincreases in the handling allowances forvouchers and for inserting supplements,and he said it was time that these werereviewed. “What other industry wouldoperate for that?,” he asked.

NFRN chief executive Paul Baxter

Reason for Lateness – Jan to Apr 2017

Who’s arriving late

Late Deliveries comparison


NEWS SUMMIT

at

öWe all understand the nightly miracle but for the individual whodoesnùt get his supply on time itùs a nightmare.õ

WHAT OURMEMBERS ARETELLING US“We are getting newspapersvery late nearly every daywhich has a knock-on effecton our home delivery service.”

“Our papers are arriving toolate, losing HND sales ascustomers are cancelling.For a few months I have beenasking for them to be deliveredearlier. I sent a form to reviewthe RDT, and have still not hada response.”

“Papers coming late, rerunsalso late and missingpaperboys and girls.”

“The consistent lateness ofdelivery is having an adverseeffect on our rounds andbusiness.”

Just days after the summit, at which theNFRN reminded publishers of the dangersof not accompanying price rises with prorata increases to the margin that retailersreceive, Trinity Mirror demonstrated thatit was listening by putting up the price ofits Sunday titles and giving stockists a 2.1pincrease on every copy sold.

The Sunday Mirror and Sunday Peopleprice increases, effective from June 4,were accompanied by a pro rata termsincrease for retailers from 29.40p to 31.5p.

This move was in stark contrast toearlier this year when the publisherincreased the price of its weekday andSaturday editions of the Daily Mirror butcut retailer terms by 0.9 per cent and 0.4per cent respectively.

At the time the NFRN wrote to TrinityMirror chief executive Simon Foxexpressing its disquiet.

NFRN chief executive Paul Baxter said:“On May 23 the NFRN gathered togethernational newspaper publishers and news

wholesalers to discuss ways in which theycould help deliver a profitable future forthe news industry.

“At that summit, a range of issuescritical to the success of the supply chainwere debated, including on time delivery,voucher handling and insertion paymentsand the need for pro rata margin increasesto accompany cover price rises.

“We are pleased that therepresentatives from Trinity Mirror whowere present at our summit have listenedto the NFRN and its concerns and takenpositive action. Independent retailers arefacing ever increasing operating costs andare dependent upon pro rata terms toremain viable.”

This good news was further com-pounded when News UK announced a10p price rise on the Sun on Sunday to£1.10 with retail margins maintained. Thismeans that since July 9 retailers have been receiving 23p per copy, compared to 21p previously.


TRINITY MIRROR IS LISTENINGagreed, adding that retailers should bepaid for inserting supplements in allpapers supplied and not for copies sold.

Final discussions focused on subretailing and how this was a good way of keeping news products in smallerretailers’ stores.

Mr Murphy said: “More retailers thanever are thinking about giving up theirnews accounts because they are notmaking enough money from the categoryonce they have paid their carriage charges.Those are the people we will encourage toconsider sub retailing.”

Agreeing, Mr Baxter added: “We want toencourage HND experts to take this onand become host sub retailers. We have tofind ways of letting people stay in news.We would like to work with wholesalerson this. There needs to be a database ofsub retailers.”

Summing up, Mr Monelle told thegathering: “We all understand the nightlymiracle but for the individual who doesn’tget his supply on time it’s a nightmare.”

DURING THE SUMMIT THE NFRN ASKEDPUBLISHERS AND WHOLESALERS TO...

• Work to agreed scheduled arrival times and not cut off times to preventbunching and to enable wholesalers to achieve RDTs.

• Print earlier.

• Better share information of planned national road issues – closures androadworks – which could potentially delay in-bound delivery to wholesalers.

• Further improve overnight/early morning communication regarding lateness.

• Refocus efforts on RDTs and provide automatic compensation in theevent of service failures.

• Review the 2p insertion allowance and for payment to be made on copiessupplied rather than copies sold.

• Review the 1p voucher handling allowance.

• Ditch unwarranted cut off extensions.• Support sub retailing initiatives.

COVER STORY

Sussex is leading the way with a new community approach toguarding which boosts the resources available to deter anddisrupt those that seek to commit crime.

Since 2015 the county has seen business and communitywardens successfully introduced in Hastings, Eastbourne,Littlehampton, Bognor Regis and Haywards Heath. The wardens,initially hired for an 18-month pilot jointly funded by the HomeOffice and the Southern Co-operative, take the task of reportingcrime away from businesses, securing physical and digital evidenceand preparing statements for police.

Their role has been supported by Sussex Police and the Sussexpolice and crime commissioner, Katy Bourne, who praises this

partnership and community approach to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour that affects the business community.

“The feedback from business communities about the value andimpact of wardens has been excellent,” said Mrs Bourne, herselfthe owner of an independent business before winning the PCCelection in 2012.

“The pressures of setting up and maintaining a business are hardenough without having to worry about crime and divertingprecious time and resources to report incidents, package evidenceand deal with complex and bureaucratic insurance claims.

“Because wardens are trained to secure the best physicalevidence and take statements, they are helping businesses save

IN SUSSEX A NEW WARDENSCHEME IS BEING PIONEEREDTO TACKLE BUSINESS CRIMEAND THERE HAS ALREADYBEEN A REDUCTION INREPORTED CRIMES AND ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR. THE FEDWENT DOWN TO THE SOUTHCOAST TO LEARN MORE.

BUSINESS CRIMEWARDEN SCHEMELEADS THE WAY


öOur wardensknow their areaand are linkedwith the localcommunitysafety agencies.õ

time and reduce demands on police. They are also able to provideservices beyond security, like first aid, counter-terror awarenessand emergency planning.

“Our wardens know their area and are linked with the localcommunity safety agencies, with offender management units andSussex Police, and they are dedicated to the business communityin their patch.

“They also have an app on their smart phone which extendsthe reach of their conventional radios so they can stay in contactwhile they patrol and service a larger area in their marked vans.”

Further collaboration is being developed in Brighton and Hoveto enable the seaside city to also benefit from this approach, withcommunity guards being deployed from July alongside the currentBusiness Improvement District ambassadors.

Nationally, business crime makes up between 20 per cent and25 per cent of all crime. In Sussex it is 19 per cent, which is whyMrs Bourne is keen to encourage more firms to report it.

Sussex sees 28.3 crimes per 1,000 businesses, putting it 12thfrom bottom of all 43 forces in England and Wales.

Shoplifting accounts for 45 per cent of all business crime inSussex while criminal damage is just under a fifth; crimes at aconvenience store represent 8.7 per cent of the total number ofbusiness crimes.

öBecause wardens are trained to secure the best physical evidence and takestatements, they are helping businessessave time and reduce demands on police.õ


öThey also have an app on their smartphone which extends the reach of theirconventional radios so they can stay incontact while they patrol and service alarger area in their marked vans.õ


COVER STORY

The existing business wardens in Sussex, who areemployed by SWL Security Services, have powers

to seize alcohol thanks to a community safetyaccreditation scheme (CSAS) which allowsorganisations and their employees working incommunity safety to be given targeted policepowers by the chief constable. These powersmean the wardens can combat crime anddisorder, public nuisance and anti-social behaviour

by seizing alcohol from under-18s or peopledrinking in designated spots, dealing with begging

and requesting the name and address of someonethey believe has committed a relevant offence.In Brighton, the new community guards will have two

main responsibilities: to support a business reporting acrime so the full report can be completed online and

submitted directly to Sussex Police’s contact centre;and to provide visible reassurance and crimeprevention advice to the local businesscommunity and support police to reduce andprevent criminality, anti-social behaviour andviolence in and around businesses.

Lisa Perretta, chair of the Sussex Business CrimeGroup, who also manages the Brighton and Hove

Business Crime Reduction Partnership, said: “Thereis a need for businesses to work closer together to

prevent many of these low-level crimes. Some feel that the current sanctions for theft aren’t robust enough,

therefore we have to concentrate on deterring and preventing it.”

“Forming collaborative partnerships like this with the privatesector means we can all work together more effectively,”explained Chris Neilson, strategic lead for business crime forSussex Police. “Where wardens have been operating we have seena fall in reported crimes and anti-social behaviour – a recentarticle in The Times placed Sussex among just seven forces tohave seen reductions in this type of crime.

“As a visible presence they can spot problems and notify policewhile working with business partnerships and other agencies tosupport a thriving town centre.”

Initial figures have seen a reduction in anti-social behaviour intown centre areas, and those businesses that use the service findit easier to report to a warden than using the 101 police phoneline. The owners of smaller stores in particular appreciate the factthat wardens, who are available via a 24-hour phone link, are ableto respond to minor anti-social behaviour and nuisance issues aswell as gathering evidence.

“The employment that business creates and its contribution toa strong local economy is the lifeblood of our communities herein Sussex. It is vital that local organisations and the police worktogether to reduce business crime and help to create a safe andsecure county in which to live and work,” added Mrs Bourne.

“Business crime matters and is not victimless. Our businesswarden schemes support business by tackling anti-socialbehaviour and helping to cultivate a vibrant economy. Anti-socialbehaviour such as aggressive begging can blight shopping areas incities so this is about increased visibility and reassurance for ourhigh streets and all our residents.”

CLAMPING DOWN ONILLICIT TOBACCO SALESSteps are also being taken in Sussex to clamp down on illegaltobacco sales, with thousands of illicit cigarettes seized last year.

In East Sussex, trading standards officials made 16 seizures in2016 totalling 223,740 counterfeit, smuggled or so-called ‘cheapwhite’ cigarettes (brands manufactured legitimately in onecountry but smuggled and sold in another without duties beingpaid). They also seized 53.55kg of illegal hand-rolling tobacco,while over the border in West Sussex, a further 12,240 cigarettesand 12.8kg of tobacco were confiscated between January 2016and May 2017.

Katy Bourne, PPC for Sussex, welcomed the crackdown byboth trading standards teams, saying: “Far from being a victimlesscrime, the illegal tobacco trade makes it easier for children tostart smoking, takes advantage of cash-strapped families andhelps to fund organised crime.

“We’ve heard from trading standards that these illegalcigarettes are particularly dangerous because they do not self-extinguish and have led to house fires in the past.

“People selling cheap, illegal tobacco are also likely to beselling other things illegally, like drugs, fake branded goods oralcohol. That’s why it’s heartening to hear of these seizures towarn sellers that they will be prosecuted and face hefty fines and community orders.”

Officials in East Sussex trading standards have made it clearthat their mission is to stop the supply and tackle the organisedcrime groups believed to be behind the sales of illegal cigarettes.

“Unfortunately, illegal stock is often produced in uncontrolledfactories and its price undermines the use of price and taxationas a means of reducing the appeal of smoking. It also underminesthe legitimate market for cigarettes which can have an adverseeffect on small retail businesses,” said a spokesperson.

The East Sussex Tobacco Partnership work closely with SussexPolice on awareness-raising campaigns to highlight the dangers ofillegal tobacco and target those involved in its supply.

“We would urge anyone who is aware of illegal tobacco beingsold to report this information anonymously via Crimestopperswhich enables trading standards to act on this intelligence andcontributes to improving the health of local people by disruptingtrade,” added the spokesperson.

In West Sussex the writing is on the wall: “Our message toanyone out there who is engaged in the illegal tobacco trade isto be warned – we will prosecute you,” said West Sussex tradingstandards manager Richard Sargeant.Members of the public can report concerns to an anonymoushelpline via Public Health Action on 0300 999 6 999. If you haveinformation about illegal tobacco sales you can tell tradingstandards by calling the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on03454 04 05 06.

öInitial figures have seen a reduction inanti-social behaviour in town centre areas,and those businesses that use the servicefind it easier to report to a warden thanusing the 101 police phone line.õ

Chris Neilson

Lisa Perretta


CONFERENCE COVERAGE

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öMrs Sood (Portsmouthbranch and South East district) said she was honoured andprivileged to take up the office andpromised that shewould not take theresponsibilities ofNational Presidentlightly.õ


CONFERENCE COVERAGE

Linda Sood was confirmed as the NFRN’s National President on thefirst day of conference, becoming only the second female to holdthis position in the organisation’s 98 year history. Margaret Adamsfrom Scotland was the first female National President in 2000.

Mrs Sood (Portsmouth branch and South East district) said shewas honoured and privileged to take up the office and promisedthat she would not take the responsibilities of National Presidentlightly.

Mike Mitchelson (Carlisle and Cumbria branch, Northern district)was elected as vice president and Stuart Reddish (Chesterfieldbranch, Yorkshire district) beat off competition from four othercandidates to become deputy vice president.

Dee Goberdhan (South Wales branch, Wales district) was re-elected as a national trustee and will serve a three year term.

Steve Archer and Kamal Thaker have joined the NEC, with JasonBirks, Muntazir Dipoti, Peter Wagg and John Parkinson all re-elected.

Martin Ward and Sunil Patel retained their seats on the NationalFinance Committee and Fred Pezhman continues on the StandingOrders Committee.

Encouraging members to act was a key messagefrom new National President Linda Sood in herinaugural speech.Addressing delegates on the second day of conference, newNational President Linda Sood said she was hugely honoured andprivileged to be only the second female to lead the NFRN andpromised that she would not take her responsibilities lightly.

Having spent the past two years as deputy vice president andvice president she had seen first hand the incredible work anddedication of her predecessors and hoped she could emulate that.

Having run two shops in the Portsmouth area with her husbandKamal, Mrs Sood said she knew only too well the stresses andstrains of running a business.

“But challenges aside, we are proud to be independent retailers,”she said, adding: “And although as a sector there are many financialand practical demands that are put upon us, I have always foundthat being a member of the NFRN has helped me to address manyof them.”

During her presidential year, working together with the NEC, with national council and with the NFRN’s staff, she hoped to findpractical solutions to overcome the challenges that independentretailers faced.

The restructure of the NFRN would also continue, as it wascritical that the organisation attracted younger members.

“Much has already been achieved, but restructuring is a gradualprocess. It’s a learning curve, but it’s also the way forward.

“To survive, organisations like the NFRN must have strength in

numbers and that means attracting young blood. Progressive youngbusinessmen and women will argue that they do not have time toagree minutes or discuss matters arising – they want to hear wheretheir next profits will come from.

“So as an organisation we must move forward. We need to findnew ways of getting members engaged and open their eyes to waysthat will make them more money,” Mrs Sood explained.

“The NFRN has an obligation to help independent retailers meet the demands of the future by helping them to improve their retailing skills, becoming better retailers and enhancing theshopping experience in their stores. We must ensure that we helpthem to the best of our ability.”

In her own shop Mrs Sood had introduced loose tobacco,buckwheat wine, smoked sausage and an extensive range of zerosoft drinks – all with great success.

“Evolution is essential to succeed in business and besides sussingout the competition, what better way of gaining inspiration and newsales opportunities than from our NFRN colleagues?” she asked.

Tackling the scourge of retail crime would remain high on theFederation’s public affairs agenda and this issue would receive the‘attention, energy and priority it deserves’.

Mrs Sood also promised that through the operations team,benefits committee and NFRN Mutual those members unfortunateenough to become crime victims would receive even greatersupport.

The NFRN would continue to push for reform to business rates,

THE NFRN’S 98TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE TOOK PLACE AT THERIVIERA CENTRE IN TORQUAY ON JUNE 12 AND 13. OVER THE NEXT

EIGHT PAGES, THE FED REPORTS ON SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

LEADERSHIP, SERVICEAND OPPORTUNITIES

Improved serviceThe first motion to receive unanimousbacking came from Yorkshire district andcalled for the NEC to negotiate improvedservice levels by all news wholesalers.

Proposing the motion, Terry Catondemanded a new and improved serviceagreement for retailers: “No retailer shouldhave to put up with constant reruns,” hesaid, adding that 10.7 million copies hadbeen rerun during 2016.

Seconder Ian Smith said in the last sixmonths he had been forced to call Menzies69 times to report service failures.

Earlier, Yorkshire district had alsosuccessfully called for the NEC tonegotiate a subscription agreement withpartwork publishers for retailers. Thiswould see orders placed by the retailerdelivered direct to their store for thecustomers to collect, with retro paymentsfrom the wholesaler or NFRN.

Putting forward the motion, Mr Catonsaid: “Partworks are a great addition to ourbusinesses but many sales are lost when

customers are attracted to subscriptions.“Publishers and wholesalers, where is

your understanding, support and respectfor independent retailers? We need tomaintain our retail profit. If we don’t lookafter our customers someone else will.”

Rates reviewAnother motion to receive 100 per centsupport was from the North Staffordshireand Crewe branch. This instructed the NECto join forces with national newspaperscurrently waging a collaborative campaigncalling for consequential changes in thepresent business rates system. It also calledfor the NFRN to work together with like-minded groups seeking fundamental reformto ‘this antiquated and unfair system’.

Speaking in favour of the motion, SteveArcher said that business rates urgentlyneeded a review.

Responding on behalf of the NEC, MikeMitchelson agreed that business ratesplaced a severe burden on members. Hesaid work was already underway with otherbusiness organisations and the NFRNwould explore ways in which it could workwith the national press. “We do want tosee the reform of a system that places aheavy burden on independent retailers,” he said.

Print here to stayFrontline managing director FrankStraetmans insisted that there was a future for printed magazines.

“Magazines can deliver significantprofits,” he said during a conferencediscussion on the future of the newssupply chain. “It is a vibrant category andstill a huge driver of revenue. £1 billion of

sales passed through tills last year andindependent retailers accounted for 20 per cent of this,” he added.

Advising delegates that ‘your store isunique’, he urged them to ‘build a rangethat is unique’ and to work with Frontlineon local ranging.

“This reduces time spent on the categoryand shrinkage,” Mr Straetmans promised.

In stores where local ranging had beentrialled, magazine sales had grown bybetween 3 per cent and 7 per cent, thanksto the addition of new titles and theremoval of poor performers.

Neil Spencer of News UK agreed that theprinted word was here to stay and advisedthat the publisher was keen to work withindependent retailers to build sales.

Sun saversNews UK head of retail marketing ChrisHughes explained more about the new SunSavers loyalty scheme which gives readers£5 for collecting 28 Sun codes. “Eventhough it is app based it will get peopleinto your stores as they do need topurchase The Sun to collect their uniquecode,” he explained.


with a fairer system for small brick andmortar retailers and the removal of free touse ATMs from the rating list completely.

Delegates could play their part in theNFRN’s public affairs work by making surethat MPs, MSPs, Assembly Members andTDs were fully aware of the issues facingindependent retailers and the assistancerequired from them, Mrs Sood added.

Having last year chaired the newsoperations committee Mrs Sood said shewas a great believer in the future of theprinted word.

“The news category is still vitallyimportant but publishers, wholesalers andretailers must work together if newsstands are to remain at the front of storesand if home news delivery is to continue.

“During my presidential meetings withboth wholesalers and publishers I willstress the need for pro rata terms whencover prices increase, for timely andaccurate deliveries and for carriage chargesto be incorporated into the price.”

She also vowed to ensure that theNFRN played a role in Brexit negotiations,to make the most of the opportunity thatleaving the EU presents and to ensure aprofitable and sustainable future forindependent retailers.

Mrs Sood ended her speech byidentifying her four objectives for theyear. These were to lead the Federationinto the future; to continue to providemembers with a service and benefitstailored to their needs; to ensure that NEC

and national council addressed the day-to-day issues affecting the businesses ofindependent retailers; and to take everyopportunity to champion the cause ofindependent retailers.

At her district visits she promised tomeet as many people as she could.

“I’ll be talking to independent retailerswith shops of all sizes about thechallenges we face and how we can worktogether. But more importantly, I will betaking time to listen to what they have tosay to me.

“We operate in challenging times but ifwe are prepared to adapt, change andtransform then I am confident thatindependent retailers and the NFRN havea strong future.”

MOTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS

CONFERENCE COVERAGE

Terry Caton

Frank Straetmans


CONFERENCE COVERAGE

Sales opportunitiesBooker’s retail managing director Steve Foxidentified areas of opportunity forindependent retailers and promised that hiscompany was poised and ready to help.

The fresh and food to go categoriesoffered potential for convenience retailers,and he advised delegates to considerintroducing a bakery and, like discountersAldi and Lidl, position this at the entranceto their stores.

As well as traditional occasions likeChristmas, Easter and Valentine’s Day, therewas scope to celebrate other events, MrFox said. Just recently Booker had trialledwine festivals in Londis stores withconsiderable success.

Local and regional products were a usefulsource of profit and Booker was committedto helping its customers identify these.NFRN members were also urged to watchout for new trends, such as premium ginsand craft beer. Information and advice onthese were available from Booker branches.

Healthier goods, such as proteins andshakes, offered sales opportunitiesthroughout the year.

Finally, Booker could help store ownersidentify the top selling products theyshould stock, Mr Fox concluded.

Start to be greatNewtrade managing director NickShanaghar also encouraged independentretailers to adapt, change and transform.

“Change is coming, change can beprofitable and you need to change in yourstores, “he said.

After highlighting several examples ofnew ideas and services to help retailersmake more money, Mr Shanaghar insisted:“You don’t have to be great at the start, butyou have to start to be great.”

Loyalty appEmbracing technology through Zapper’smobile payment and loyalty scheme wouldincrease footfall and basket spend in

independent retailers’ stores, promised itshead of retail Jon Birt.

During a trial in seven Peterboroughstores, there was a 35 per cent increase inbasket spend to an average of £8.39, whilestore visits grew from 3.6 times a week to4.2, and 41 per cent of all vouchers issuedwere redeemed.

The Zapper system works using QRcodes, inviting shoppers to open the firm’sapp and scan a code at the till which willthen process payments, voucherredemption and loyalty card updates in a few seconds.

Mr Birt explained: “We see this as aclubcard for independents. The loyalty card is exclusive to your store.”

Industry firstJonathan Spencer, business developmentmanager for Plusnet, explained how it hadteamed up with NFRN Shoplink to launchindustry leading deals that are passeddirectly to NFRN members. Plusnetservices both the residential and thebusiness market with a UK based customersupport centre.

Mr Spencer said that Plusnet was “veryproud” of the customer service levelsprovided by its team, adding that this washighlighted in the company strapline ‘We’lldo you proud’.

Reinforcing this message, Mr Spencersaid that in 2016 alone Plusnet had wonover 20 industry awards for providing greatand exceptional customer service.

“Independent retail is the heartbeat ofour customer base. We have just reachedthe one million customer mark," he added.

A smokeless futurePMI’s marketing and sales director for theUK and Ireland Ebru Alpay Oruman said thetobacco manufacturer needed NFRNmembers’ help to create a smokeless future.

Ms Oruman added: “Customers tryingIQOS will need their hands held and willwant your advice. We know we need youradvocacy.”

She explained that PMI was dedicated tocustomer service during the IQOS roll outas this was key to the success of thebusiness model, and retailer knowledgewould make a huge impact on sales.

Mrs Oruman also shared the vision ofPhilip Morris chief executive AndréCalantzopoulous, who was quoted earlierthis year as saying: “Our goal is to lead afull-scale effort to ensure that Reduced-Risk Products ultimately replace cigarettesto the benefit of adult smokers, societyand our company.”

Doing nothing is not an optionGiving an update on the NFRN’s positionon deposit return schemes (DRS) for plastic bottles, chief executive Paul Baxtersaid: “We got in early to ensure our voice is heard.”

He explained that the decision toengage had been taken at the ScottishConference earlier in the year. “Scotlandtook the bold decision to engage at anearly stage. We are the only retailorganisation to do so.”

Mr Baxter added: “It’s controversial, itdoes have an impact and there are anumber of challenges we have to face, butwe don’t want to look back in years tocome and say, ‘I wonder if they thoughtabout the independent retailer’.”

Scottish members Jim Maitland andDavid Woodrow spoke passionately aboutwhy they were in favour of DRS.

Mr Maitland warned that by 2050 plasticwould outweigh marine life. “We have gotto do something about that,” he said.

Joining the discussion, Coca-ColaEuropean Partner’s associate director forpublic affairs Jim Fox admitted that depositreturn schemes were ‘not the best option’,but he said they ‘might be the option weneed to go with’.

If such a system was to be introduced, itwas imperative that retailers were ready, hesaid. “There is far too much packagingthat’s not being recycled. Doing nothing isnot an option.”

Steve Fox Jon BirtNeil Spencer


CONFERENCE COVERAGE

Shocking statistics regarding levels of abuse aimed at shop ownersand their staff were revealed and ways of combating these wereexplored during a panel discussion on retail crime on the secondafternoon of conference.

Tony Allen, managing director of Under Age Sales, advised:“Almost 6,000 convenience store workers experience verbal orphysical abuse every single day as a result of asking customers foridentification before they can buy age restricted products.

“If it happened in an office or in the street there would beuproar, but because it happens in the retail sector it doesn’t getthe same response.”

Mr Allen also revealed that only a quarter (26 per cent) ofretailers who have experienced verbal or physical abuse whenasking for ID reported the incidents to police, and of those whodid, 57 per cent either did not receive a response or wereunsatisfied with the response they received.

A shop owner or employee was four times more likely to faceabuse when challenging ID if they were of an ethnic minority, MrAllen added.

There were psychological steps that shop owners andemployees could take to protect themselves from such abusesuch as dropping arms and shoulders, lowering your voice ortaking a step back to look less threatening, continued Mr Allen.He also encouraged retailers to de-personalise the issue byblaming trading standards and the police when explaining why IDwas needed or a sale was being refused.

USDAW deputy divisional officer Mike Walker agreed thatviolence and abuse against people working in retail was on theincrease, with incidents ranging from spitting to objects beingthrown and the use of weapons.

He explained that USDAW’s Freedom from Fear campaign waslaunched 14 years ago because retail crime ‘fell under the radar’.

Among its objectives was to encourage shop owners and theirstaff to report all incidents. “It’s harder to get the government totake action when there is an incomplete picture,” he explained.

It also sought to encourage employers to invest in security andbetter staffing levels. “Violence and abuse is not part of your job.Abuse must be tackled,” he said.

Devon and Cornwall police and crime commissioner (PPC)Alison Hernandez said that any retailer who felt in danger shouldring 999 and cautioned never to fight back.

She admitted that tackling business crime had not been apriority for many police forces but promised that PCCs wereworking nationally to change that.

Any member lacking confidence in their local police forceshould complain to their PCC and local councillor. “These are yourrepresentatives,” she added.

Discussing illicit crime, Will O’Reilly, managing director of theWOR Consultancy Ltd, said incidents of smuggled or counterfeittobacco were growing because there was ‘massive money to bemade and a low risk of being caught or prosecuted’.

The biggest threat at present came from illicit whites fromBelarus and counterfeit products.

In 2016 WOR had carried out test purchases in 44 towns andcities and had purchased 2,000 illegal products. All intelligencewas passed to the authorities.

RETAIL CRIMESTILL UNDERTHE RADAR

Tony Allen

Alison Hernandez


OUTGOING NATIONALPRESIDENT RAY MONELLEURGED DELEGATES TO GRASPALL THE OPPORTUNITIES THATEXIST TO ENSURE A BRIGHTFUTURE FOR INDEPENDENTRETAILERS.

OUTGOING PRESIDENT RAY MONELLEProfit opportunities still exist and ifindependent retailers are quick to seizethem the future for their businesses andfor the NFRN is bright.

Those uplifting words were delivered byoutgoing president Ray Monelle in hisspeech to conference on the first morning.

Urging members to adapt, change andtransform, Mr Monelle said: “Due to theresilience and diversity of our membersand the Federation, we will be here for along time – the positivity and the ability to adapt is strong, the opportunities arethere and we are quick to grasp them.

“Let us look to the future, as I believethe future is bright and the good work theNFRN and our staff are doing is helping usget there.”

In the convenience market,opportunities existed in the food to goand chilled sectors, he said. Both offeredgood profit margins, although Mr Monellewarned that they require goodmanagement.

Vaping was another area witnessing huge growth, although again, it was ademanding category “as the products needto settle and we need to understand thecategory better.”

Delegates were also urged to ‘grasp’social media and use all platforms availableto promote their businesses. “Reachingnew young customers is, again, an area alot of us need to come to terms with forthe future,” Mr Monelle explained.

Turning to trade issues, Mr Monelle said

the past year had been tough forindependent retailers, with increased redtape and the new living wage and autopension enrolment adding extra pressureto businesses already having to cope withsmaller margins.

Through the NFRN’s public affairs work, the profile of the Federation had been further raised in each of theparliaments and it was increasingly seen as a valued voice.

But there was still much work to bedone to get satisfactory outcomes onbusiness rates, banking and retail crime.“We must maintain pressure on parliamentand here, I must stress, members’involvement with their MPs helpstremendously,” Mr Monelle said.

Over the past 12 months the NFRN as anorganisation had embraced change and MrMonelle said that from his visits to alldistricts it was clear that members werepleased with the direction now beingtaken and the additional support that they

were receiving as a result.“Time is precious to most members,

more precious than it’s even been. Thosewith young families – the new blood thatwe’re looking to come in – are trying todevelop their businesses. They needdifferent types of meetings; they wantmore events, with more emphasis onbusiness development to generate newideas and to give them new drive to go forward.”

Mr Monelle explained how he hadalready witnessed the benefits of themove from more traditional branchmeetings to trade shows in his owndistrict. “We’ve had two social events, at a cash and carry and at our newswholesalers. At both events I saw membersI haven’t seen for years who happilyinteracted with us, talked to us, andhopefully got more interested in being part of the Federation. So, it’s a good step forward.

“On talking to these members, manywho I haven’t seen at district or anywhere,they value their membership, they werehappy to know we were there in times ofneed, but we need to add to this.

“We want them to look at us as a ‘one-stop’ if they want to develop their shops, ifthey want help, if they want direction –and we can do that.”

Being an independent can be lonely but by picking up the telephone andcalling NFRN Connect any burdens couldbe shared.

CONFERENCE COVERAGE

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT

öDue to the resilience anddiversity of our membersand the Federation, wewill be here for a longtime ò the positivity andthe ability to adapt isstrong, the opportunitiesare there and we arequick to grasp them.õ

CONFERENCE COVERAGE

Never sign on the dotted line and simplyhope for the best, said head of operationsMargaret McCloskey as she introduceddelegates to a new NFRN factsheet oncontracts.

While contracts could be both complexand confusing it was imperative that everyclause was read and understood and thedocuments scrutinised for hiddenobstacles, such as exit fees or surchargesfor failing to meet sales targets.

Mrs McCloskey described the contractfactsheet as “probably the most useful”within the NFRN’s Retail Standards library.

Delegates were also warned thatfraudsters were ‘nimble and swift’ and keento seek out retailers that were slow torespond to unusual activity.

“Fraudsters tend to attack when retailersare working alone,” she explained. “Theyalso visit retailers that need a boost in tradeand they can hit during busy times of theday when staff are concentrating onkeeping queues down,” Mrs McCloskeywarned.

Up until now there was little materialavailable to help retailers and their staffspot credit card fraud but the NFRN’s newfactsheet would provide additionalknowledge and understanding, shepromised.

Members were also made aware of thenew retail crime risk assessmentdocument – a useful tool in helping themto assess their businesses and identifysecurity threats.

“Our eight page document is extensiveand goes into depth, covering anemergency response plan, staff workingalone and till safe procedures. It also looksat pilferage from both sides of the businessand effective barriers, both physical andpsychological that can reduce thelikelihood of threats.”

Turning to the NFRN’s new legal policy,Mrs McCloskey said this providedstraightforward advice in layman’s terms tohelp members build confidence, knowledgeand understanding on all aspects of theirbusinesses.

Help had been given and was available onworking out holiday entitlement, copingwith resignations and staff regularly turningup late for work and on legislationsurrounding entitlement to work in the UK.

Criminal defence cover existed for failedtest purchases for age restricted productsand for improvement or prohibition notices

for food safety or health and safety issues.Representation was also available in

instances of a clear breach of contractagainst the retailer, although MrsMcCloskey warned: “We cannot helpretailers to get out of a contract justbecause it isn’t working in their favour orthey have fallen out of love with thesupplier.”

Platinum cover existed for any retailerselling alcohol, with legal representationoffered through a review, suspension orrevocation of a licence.

“Anyone advised that their licence wasbeing reviewed should seek advice fromNFRN Legal immediately,” said MrsMcCloskey.

“Don’t be fooled by the wording in theletter that states you ‘don’t need to doanything during the 30 day review period”‘.If you want to retain the status quo of yourlicense make contact with NFRN Legalupon receipt of the letter as the clock isticking.”

This conference session also introduceddelegates to NFRN business partnersincluding Business Property Advantage,SubPostmaster.com and Licensing Matters.


CONTRACT ADVICE TO GIVEOUR MEMBERS CONFIDENCE

Conference in brief

After lively debate Annual Conference agreed the fee for all categories wouldbe increased by 20p a week from July 1. Delegates were told that a fee increasewas necessary if the current structure of the NFRN was to be maintained. Theywere also reminded that there had been no fee increase for eight years.

Refurbish your shop and change the floor plan of your alcohol section and youwill be in breach of your premises licence, warned Gill Sherrett of LicensingMatters. “A floor plan is part of your premises licence,” she explained. “Even ifyou move a shelf you will be in breach of your licence. Lose your licence andyou will lose your livelihood.”

Delegates were stunned to hear Lorna Shord of Subpostmaster.com advise thatit is illegal for shops to charge above the face value for stamps.

Northern president Mike Brown received the Carl Bridgewater Cup for securingthe highest contribution per head of membership to the Carl Bridgewater Fundin memory of the young news deliverer who had been murdered. The SouthEast district won the Leonard Page Cup for securing the latest annualcontribution to the Ratcliffe Fund per head of membership.

Head of membership services Theresa Neale advised that following therestructuring exercise agreed at conference last year the number of NFRNdistricts had reduced from 16 to 13, while the number of branches fell from160 to 132.

Margaret McCloskey

To watch the speechesand presentations, followthe debate and see morephotographs visit theAnnual Conference pageon our website at:nfrnonline.com/events/annual-conference-2017/.



GUIDE TO MAGAZINES

Below, we show you how to adopt a familyfriendly approach to displaying magazinesand newspapers so as not to cause offence.We also look at local newspapers andexplain how you can surcharge when yourretail terms are cut and advise on the latestsales opportunities the next few months will bring.

Top Shelf titlesAdult magazines are still a useful source ofincome for many news retailers but it isworth following the NFRN’s Code ofPractice to ensure that your display doesnot offend your customers.• Adult titles should be displayed on

the top shelf only and out of the reach of children.

• Adult titles should not be sold to anyperson under the age of 18 years.

• Adult titles should only be acquired from bona fide trade channels (on thebasis that these will have been vetted bythe suppliers’ lawyers for compliance with legislation).

• Care and sensitivity should be exercisedover the display of adult titles withexplicit front covers.

Members should be responsive to the views of their customers and, inparticular they are advised that they arenot obliged to stock these titles if theyhave objections on religious, moral orother grounds.

Men’s magazinesWhile covers of ‘lads mags’ are moresubdued than they once were, there arestill occasions when they could offend.

Although these are not top-shelf titles,we do urge members to be sensitive tothe concerns of consumers, particularly inrelation to the display of magazines withfront covers and/or content that may beinappropriate to display at a youngperson’s eye-level or below.

To minimise complaints from consumerswithout adversely affecting the sale ofthese titles, we recommend that you:

• Do not display them adjacent to yourdisplay of children’s titles and comics.

• Do not display them at, or below,children’s eye level to ensure that theyare not in the direct sight and reach of children.

• Part-overlap potentially problematicfront covers with other titles tominimise offence to parents where your display space precludes the above suggestions.

• That similar care and consideration isgiven to the display of any Point of Salematerial for these titles.

• A free, industry-agreed planogramindicating the preferred placement oftitles is available to download. Forfurther information please visitppa.co.uk/retail.

Other titles and nationalnewspapersThe size of some titles preclude thembeing displayed from a magazine rack.However, with a little common-sense you

THE FED’S GUIDE TO

MAGAZINES AND NEW

ARE YOU MAKING THEMOST OF THE NEWSCATEGORY? IN THESECOND PART OF OURNEW SERIES THE FEDLOOKS AT WAYS TOHELP YOU TO MAKETHE MOST FROM THISIMPORTANT SALESCATEGORY.


SPAPERScan still minimise consumer complaintsabout titles with front covers that maycause offence. For instance:• You can fold newspapers in half so that

the masthead and price is exposed, butthe front cover picture is not.

• On a plinth display you can overlapnewspapers with other newspapers toleave the masthead and price exposedbut not the front page picture.

• Where a title carries a masthead on theback page, as well as the front, you candisplay the back page uppermost.

By following this advice, it is mostunlikely that you will adversely affect the sale of any title. On the contrary, bymaking your customers aware that youadopt a ‘family friendly’ policy on display,you may find that parents with childrenare much happier to shop in your store.Remember. It’s your business and youcannot be forced to stock any title that you and your customers findobjectionable.

MONTH FOCUS CATEGORIES KEY DATES/EVENTS July Women’s Lifestyle Summer Fashions

Motor Racing British F1 Grand PrixGolf British OpenGeneral SportFamily School Summer HolidaysChildren’s Family HolidaysOutdoor Caravanning Fishing

August Football Football Season StartsRugby Rugby League Challenge Cup FinalFamily School Summer HolidaysChildren’s Family HolidaysOutdoor Caravanning Women’s LifestylePuzzles

September Family Back to School/CollegeTV Listings, New TV SeasonSoaps

October Slimming Pre Christmas DietsHobbies & Crafts Weather Changes Family School Half Term/HalloweenFood Pre Christmas Preparation

November Christmas Issues Christmas Build upDecember TV Listings & Double Issues

Women’s Weeklies

EVENTS CALENDAR To help you maximise your magazine sales we have identified some key events runningbetween now and the end of the year that could form the focus of your display. Make sure you have full availability in the build up and during the period.

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for local events and consider ways to promote relevant magazines.


GUIDE TO MAGAZINES

LOCAL PAPERS ARE A REAL EXAMPLEOF STRENGTH IN THE COMMUNITY

PART OF THE NEWS MEDIA ASSOCIATION, LOCAL MEDIA WORKS IS THE HOME OFMARKETING FOR LOCAL NEWSPAPERS AND THEIR DIGITAL PLATFORMS, HELPING ADVERTISERSAND AGENCIES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT AND POWER OF LOCAL MEDIA.Local newspapers and independentretailers are both hugely important to the communities they service, says LocalMedia Works.

The benefits they bring to local life arenumerous, including raising awareness andsupport for important local issues,boosting the local economy throughemployment and the promotion ofbusiness and providing a hub for localengagement and debate. A real example ofstrength in the community.

Displaying local newspapers prominentlymakes good sense for independentretailers. Local papers are a key driver offootfall, attracting customers into storeswho then go on to spend in othercategories. As a result, local papers can besaid to provide a real boost forindependent retailers as businesses.

This effect was highlighted in a recentstudy conducted by Deloitte for the NewsMedia Association which looked at theeconomic, social, and cultural contributionmade to the UK by the national and localnews media sector. The study found thatnews media supports value in manydifferent businesses and that the industrysupports nearly 15,000 jobs in thenewspaper retail and wholesale sector.

In total, the UK news media industrygenerated £5.3 billion in gross value added to the UK economy in 2015, thereport found. It also discovered that:• As a sector, the local press is facing

some challenges.• The market remains difficult for local

press publishers as some advertising,classified in particular, has migrated onlineand, in the digital space, the currentstructures do not adequately reward localpapers’ investment in journalism.

• In addition, some local authorities stillpersist with their own councilnewspapers – which are damaging toindependent local press – in defiance ofgovernment guidelines.

But these challenges have not deterredlocal papers. Encouragingly, the industry is reaching huge audiences, 40 million aweek in print and online, and that’sbecause local journalism remains highlytrusted and in demand.

As well as news reporting, localnewspaper campaigning on important localissues is particularly important. Whencampaigning, local papers can team upwith retailers to ensure the campaign getsadditional signposting and promotion in

store. This kind of creative thinking andengagement benefits all parties – theretailer, the paper and – mostimportantly – the customer.

In uncertain times, the role of the localpaper is to help readers understand eventswhich are often difficult to make sense of.

Following the appalling terrorist attack in Manchester, the Manchester EveningNews launched an appeal which has, todate, raised more than £11 million for thevictims and their families. This ability tounite and galvanise people around animportant cause is one of localnewspapers’ unique strengths.

Not only do local newspapers reportupon the community’s response tosignificant events, they become part ofand help to shape that response. Localjournalism is vital for our democracy andthe industry’s relationship withindependent retailers is an important partof ensuring that communities across theUK can continue to benefit from it.

Both local papers and independentretailers have a unique and important role,and by continuing to work together theycan play a full part in supporting vibrant,dynamic and prosperous communities formany years to come.

Following Johnston Press’ decision to slashthe percentage margins that retailersreceive on 41 of its local newspapers, somestockists have expressed a wish to controlthe cover prices on these publications.

Chief executive Paul Baxter said: “Thereis no law that prevents retailers frommaking personal decisions on pricing onsound economic grounds. What membersdo, however, must be their personaldecision. Only they know the importanceof the product in their business, alongwith the likely reaction from customersand the impact this could have.

“The watchword is that the consumermust not be confused over the price.

“Pricing is a very personal decision foreach retailer and the NFRN makes no

recommendations on this course ofaction. We merely inform you that this anoption open to you.

“Only you can decide whether this issomething you can do without causing a customer revolt or losing business toyour competitors.”

The printed cover price on a newspaper(or magazine) is a recommended retailprice, as with most other products, soretailers can set their own price shouldthey wish to do so.

Anyone choosing to charge a price thatis higher than the printed price mustcompletely overstick the existing pricewith the new one, so that customers onlysee one price.

Alternatively, should a retailer chose to

sell at a price lower than the printed price,it is sufficient to show the discountedoffer as a self edged marker.

Retailers can also decide to delist a titlethat provides little or no profit so doesnot commercially justify its display spacein store. Another options could be toremove them from display and only sell tocustomers as a specific order.

In the light of Johnston Press’announcement that it was raising coverprices on 41 of its titles and slashing themargins – in some cases down to just 10per cent – the NFRN has produced aprofit calculator showing the old and newmargins, the profit lost and the price thatretailers should charge if they want toretain the previous margin (see next page).

PRICING – WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS?


GUIDE TO MAGAZINES

Northern Ireland Publications

Publication Old Price New Price New Margin New PPC Previous margin Margin reduction

Price to sell to retain margin

Ballymena Times 10.00% 15.00% £1.84Ballymoney Times 10.00% 15.00% £1.84Banbridge Leader 10.00% 15.00% £1.89Coleraine Times 10.00% 15.00% £1.84Dromore Leader 10.00% 15.00% £1.89Londonderry Sentinel 10.00% 15.00% £1.68Roe Valley Sentinel 10.00% 15.00% £1.68Tyrone Times 10.00% 15.00% £1.73Ulster Star 10.00% 15.00% £1.68

Scottish Publications

Publication Region Old Price New Price Effective Date New Margin New PPC Previous

marginMargin

reduction


Arbroath Herald 12.50% 23.00% £1.11Berwickshire News 12.00% 22.00% £1.54Bishopbriggs Herald 12.00% 22.00% £0.99Brechin Advertiser 13.00% 24.00% £1.17Broughty Ferry Guide and Gazette 12.50% 23.00% £1.11Buchan Observer 12.25% 22.50% £0.94Carrick Gazette 12.50% 23.00% £1.11Cumbernauld News 12.00% 22.00% £1.10Deeside Piper 12.50% 23.00% £1.16Ellon Times 12.25% 22.50% £1.10Forfar Dispatch 13.00% 24.00% £1.17Fraserburgh Herald 12.25% 22.50% £1.16Galloway Gazette 12.50% 23.00% £1.22Glenrothes Gazette 12.50% 23.00% £0.99Inverurie Herald 12.25% 22.50% £1.10Kilsyth Chron 12.00% 22.00% £1.10Kirkintilloch Herald 12.00% 22.00% £0.99Kirriemuir Herald 13.00% 24.00% £1.17Mearns Leader 12.00% 22.00% £1.16Midlothian Advertiser 12.50% 23.00% £1.16Milngavie & Bearsden Herald 12.00% 22.00% £1.05Montrose Review 13.00% 24.00% £1.17Selkirk Weekend Advertiser 12.50% 23.00% £0.83The Buteman 12.50% 23.00% £1.16

Yorkshire Publications

Publication Region Old Price New Price New Margin New PPC Previous margin

Margin reduction


Eastwood & Kimberley Advertiser 11.00% 20.00% £0.98Brighouse Echo 12.00% 21.71% £1.15Pocklington Post 11.75% 21.18% £1.20Epworth Bells 11.00% 20.00% £1.09Todmorden News 12.00% 21.57% £1.04

North West Publications

Publication Region Old Price New Price New Margin New PPC Previous margin

Margin reduction


Burnley Express - Tuesday 11.00% 20.00% £1.31Fleetwood Weekly News 10.00% 20.00% £1.10Wigan Evening Post Monday Edition 10.00% 20.00% £1.05Wigan Evening Post Tuesday Edition 10.00% 20.00% £1.05Wigan Evening Post Wednesday Edition 10.00% 20.00% £1.05Wigan Evening Post Thursday Edition 10.00% 20.00% £1.05Wigan Evening Post Friday Edition 10.00% 20.00% £1.05Wigan Evening Post Saturday Edition 10.00% 20.00% £1.05

JOHNSTON PRESS PROFIT CALCULATOR

To bring new readers into the puzzle category innovation is key.The Puzzler knows how to spot potential and we were the firstUK publisher of a dedicated Sudoku magazine. A notable trend isthe recent move to more nostalgic and mindful pastimes aspeople move away from screen-based activities, both at homeand at work. All things retro and vintage are key trends and therecertainly seems to be a move back to paper! We’ve responded byproducing Creative Dot-to-Dot and our most recent launch,Puzzler Special Popular Classics. Both titles appeal to traditionalpuzzlers and non-puzzlers, bringing new people to the category.

The mixed-content puzzle format remains the biggest puzzlegenre because there is always something for everyone. Puzzler’s Q Puzzle Compendium, which provides a selection of puzzles for all the family, falls into this category and is another of ourbest-sellers.

We aren’t complacent with our existing titles either and ensuretheir content is regularly refreshed. We’ve proved this withPuzzler Collection. It is over 40 years old and still the country’sbiggest-selling puzzle magazine and people may be surprised tohear it outsells the likes of Vogue and Grazia on the newsstand!Without our constant review process this magazine would nothave enjoyed its longevity and been appreciated by an entirelynew generation.

Sales of puzzle magazines increase significantly during thesummer months. The days are longer so it feels like we have moretime on our hands and puzzling is one activity that isn’t reliant onthe great British weather! The puzzle sector requires additionalsupport over the summer to ensure titles are available to thewidest possible audience. We apply our expert demographicknowledge to ascertain which magazines will sell better in whichstores and areas. Providing the most relevant magazines to eachspecific retailer gives both them and us the best possible chanceto maximise profit. We’re aware that retailers don’t want to bebombarded with an overload of different puzzle titles, which iswhy we feel our method of using the strongest demographic fit isa wise approach. We understand when it’s better to send our top-selling titles such as Puzzler Collection and Q Word Search but wealso know the retailers that would do well to stock specialist titlessuch as Suguru and Killer Sudoku.

Competitions are closely associated with puzzle magazines;readers expect them. They’re a key part of the purchase decision-making process so good cover visibility is essential if you want todrive sales. We invest heavily in incentives for our customers andensure our magazines carry aspirational prizes – over the summerwe’ll be giving away thousands of pounds in cash and vouchers

and some other fabulous prizes! Competitions are a great way tosay thank you to our customers.

We offer other incentives too. Nothing complements a puzzlemagazine better than a free pen or pencil. The majority of ourtitles carry a quality, free covermount. Retailers should be awarethat covermounted issues have far more appeal than thosewithout. Lots of people take puzzles on their travels over thesummer and it’s a bonus if they don’t have to hunt around for apen! We understand that consumers know and trust the Puzzlerbrand so by offering unrivalled, high-quality content,competitions and free gifts we make certain our readers receiveexcellent value for money.

Not only are we the UK’s biggest print publisher of puzzles, weare also the market leaders in digital puzzle apps including ourhugely successful, multi-format Puzzler World app and our newestlaunch Puzzler Name Game. For those who prefer their puzzlesdigitally our service is second to none. And while there’s no doubtwe live in a digital age it is undeniable that good old-fashionedmagazines are still the consumers preferred way to puzzle,especially during the summer. Perhaps it’s because you only needa pen to get you started and never have to worry about drippingice-cream on an expensive device, recharging your battery orhunting for decent Wi-Fi!

The best independent retailers build their sales by identifyingseasonal uplifts and marketing the magazines accordingly withstrong, clear displays. They ensure out-of-date magazines arereplenished with new stock, rather than leaving old magazines onthe shelves. It doesn’t go down well with customers if theypurchase a magazine only to get it home and find out thecompetition has already shut. The best independent retailers are also aware that often customers don’t know they wantsomething until they see it. They will maximise their profits bydual-positioning at till points – they know how to tempt those impulse buyers!

When it comes to display bear in mind that consumers tend toshop by genre, so it is key to make sure all puzzle types arerepresented. Ideally there should be three to four titles in each ofthe genres. Providing a mix of traditional best-sellers along withnew titles which are on trend will also serve to meet the needs ofpuzzle fans, giving them the opportunity to buy their oldfavourites and try something new. Offer customers the facility toorder what they want – perhaps place a ‘Can’t find what you’relooking for?’ sign on the puzzle shelves. Where possible allowprominent space next to women’s’ weeklies and TV guides asthere is evidence of a strong cross-over purchase.

LOOKING FOR A CLUE TO BOOST YOURMAGAZINE SALES THIS SUMMER? ACCORDING TO EMILY OAKDEN,UK CIRCULATION AND TRADE MARKETING MANAGER OF THEPUZZLER, PUZZLE MAGAZINES COULD BE THE SOLUTION.

GUIDE TO MAGAZINES


LONG SUMMER DAYSALLOW PLENTY OFTIME FOR PUZZLING

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NFRN AWARDS

Our first retail finalists for the prestigiousNFRN Awards have been announced! Nineshops and individuals who were successfulin the 2017 Southern Region Awards onFriday May 12 now go forward to thenational competition later this year.

For London member Val Chung therewere two reasons to celebrate as she wasnamed Member of the Year, whileemployee Marcus Leong walked away withthe Store2Door Deliverer of the Year title.

Val’s award was made in recognition ofher active involvement with the NFRN formore than 15 years. During that time she hasheld many positions at branch, district andnational level and despite running a thrivingbusiness, Broomes in Buckhurst Hill, Essex,she still finds time to help organise NFRNtrade shows and charity events. A keycommunicator, Val takes time to shareNFRN news, including conference reports,with her district members as well as editingthe quarterly London newsletter.

Marcus, meanwhile, was described as ‘adedicated, conscientious person’ who isalways prepared to cover rounds in the

absence of other deliverers.His constant smile and politeness makes

Marcus hugely popular with customers andhe will often carry out little acts ofkindness, such as taking out and returningheavy wheelie bins for elderly people on his round.

The Store2Door Delivery Service of theYear award was presented to Mike Tidy ofGood News in Chichester, West Sussex. Thejudges praised him for his excellent serviceand commitment to staff training, togetherwith the regular canvassing promotions heundertakes, not just to maintain his HNDbusiness, but to expand it.

At Rocheforts in Cheriton in Folkestone,Kent the needs of customers always comefirst and even though an extensive range ofmagazines and newspapers are stocked anddisplayed to a very high standard, ownersCharles and Linda Carmichael willconsistently go that extra mile to ensurethat readers can purchase the titles theywant. For that reason the husband and wifeteam were named Newsagent of the Year.

Recognising the sales opportunities

available from stocking collectables andpartworks, Chandrakant Patel makes surethat his shop, Marsh Hill News in Hackney,London, always has a range to keepcustomers of all ages satisfied.

He will enthusiastically trial new productsand uses point of sale material to its fulladvantage. His commitment to theseproducts earned him the Topps Collectablesand Partworks Retailer of the Year award.

In a new move this year, the ConvenienceRetailer of the Year Award was split intotwo categories.

Winning the Symbol/FranchiseConvenience Retailer of the Year title wasbeyond the wildest dreams of Mayur andNilan Patel of Saxon Fields Store, Andover,Hants as just one year ago much of theshop had been destroyed by fire. Thecouple were determined not to be beatenand in December last year the store wasofficially reopened for business.

The judges said they were reallyimpressed with the Patel’s resolution andperseverance to get their business up andrunning. What has risen from the ashes is a

ON MAY 12 RETAILERS,SUPPLIERS, PUBLISHERSAND WHOLESALERS CAMETOGETHER TO HONOURTHE WORTHY WINNERSOF THIS YEAR’S 2017SOUTHERN REGIONAWARDS. THE FED WASTHERE TO JOIN IN THECELEBRATIONS.

SOUTHERN WINNERS TO CAPITAL SUCCESS

STOP PRESS: You still have time to enter our National Awards as the deadline Online and either complete the online form or


In total 16 awards were handed out on the night. The othersuccessful companies or individuals honoured were:Confectionery Display – Kevin and Caroline Shovelar, The Sweet Market,Southampton, HantsTechnology Award – Narendra Patel, Classic News, Borough, LondonLocal Supplier – Bejay IcesLocal Supplier – Tony Trott, Kardwell HobbsLocal Member of the Year Merit Award – Diana Rushbrook

SAVE THE DATEThe prestigious NFRN Awards will be presented at a glittering ceremony at the Lancaster Hotel inLondon on the evening of Wednesday November 22.

Make sure you reserve your seat to honour the very best independent retailers and theirdeliverers who have made such a huge impact intheir communities.

welcoming, bright, clean, well stocked andwell merchandised store.

The Independent Convenience Retailer ofthe Year award was given to Karen and ColinHewitt of Pretoria News in Portsmouthwhere emphasis is put on sourcing localproducts, serving the community, offeringspecial deals and food to go. What set theHewitt’s shop apart from the other worthyfinalists was how well stocked, bright andwelcoming it was.

The 2017 Community Retailer of the Yearwas Surekha Patel of Best One, Bexhill onSea, East Sussex, who takes everyopportunity to raise funds for local clubsand charities and actively encourages herstaff to follow suit. Mrs Patel can often befound supporting local events too as shestrives to ensure her shop is seen as a vitalpart of the thriving local community.

Displaying due diligence towards sellingunder age products, making sure that staffare well trained in all areas – including theuse of a refusal register – and ensuring thatall statutory notices are clearly displayed instore led Navin Patel of StephensNewsagents in Southsea, Hants to benamed Responsible Retailer of the Year.

A new award for this year was the RetailInnovation of the Year. Devendra Patel ofThis and That in Plaistow, London, was therecipient. In an increasingly competitivemarket place, innovation is key to retailsuccess and Devendra has demonstrated an ability to explore and exploit newrevenue streams.

For the third year running the Awardswere presented at a glittering ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Caversham,Reading.

Photos courtesy of www.paulfox.photography

The Southern Region Awards could not takeplace without the support of our sponsors. A huge thanks to Booker, British American

Tobacco, Comag, Nestle UK, PepsiCo, Shoplink,Smiths News, 3R Telecom and Trinity Mirror

Regional Newspapers.

ON THE ROAD

ConvenienceRetailer

Collectables andPartworks

News Deliverer

CommunityRetailer

Newsagent ofthe Year

has been extended to 4pm on July 31. To submit your nomination visit NFRNdownload the pdf and email or post it back.


HERE TO HELP

NFRN CONNECTUPDATE

40 NFRNONLINE.COM NOVEMBER 2016

Freephone number:

0800 121 6376* Calling from a mobile:

020 7017 8880 Calling from Republic of Ireland:

01 453 5822 Email: [email protected]

NFRN Connect says

The retailer was quite right to request a new licence as failureto display this in a prominent position in your shop is aninfringement of the terms of your licence and can result inpermission to sell the Health Lottery being withdrawn.

PROPER RESTITUTIONEvery time his newspapers are late Retailer B will report it to NFRNConnect and they contact his news wholesaler for an explanation.

One Saturday, the retailer was particularly enraged because hedid not receive his supplies until 9.30am – four hours later than hisRDT of 5.30am.

When NFRN Connect challenged the wholesaler it confirmedthat there had, indeed, been a serious problem with delivery timesand the customer would be telephoned to discuss restitution.

That should have been the end of it, but when checking with theretailer, NFRN Connect was taken aback to hear that althoughhundreds of copies had arrived late into the shop – impacting onboth HND and counter sales – the wholesaler had offered just£15.43 in restitution.

NFRN Connect immediately queried the paltry amount andasked why restitution had not been given for HND. It reminded thewholesaler that it should pay restitution of 55p for each deliveredcopy. If it did not do so, it would encourage the member toescalate the complaint to the Press Distribution Forum.

The news wholesaler agreed to increase the restitution toinclude loss for HND copies and advised that it would be payingthe customer £132.


LOTTERY LICENCEAll retailers who sell Health Lottery tickets must display a RetailerLicence in a prominent position in their shops that is clearly visibleto the public.

This is a legal requirement of the Gambling Commission whocarry out official audits on a regular basis to ensure that HealthLottery retailers are compliant.

Realising that her licence had expired, Retailer A duly contactedthe Health Lottery for a new one and was told that this would beposted out.

However, this failed to arrive and when she advised the HealthLottery she was told that as a Licence had already been issued itwould not send out a replacement.

At this point the retailer asked NFRN Connect to intervene.After the NFRN made the Health Lottery aware of the issue it

promised to get a replacement sent out immediately. A spokesmanfor the Health Lottery said he was puzzled at the reluctance toissue a replacement and thanked the retailer for her support.

TO MANY MEMBERS NFRN CONNECT IS THE FIFTH EMERGENCY SERVICE, PROVIDINGPROFESSIONAL AND FRIENDLY SUPPORT ON A RANGE OF INDUSTRY ISSUES. BELOW WE LOOKAT SOME OF THE LATEST WAYS IN WHICH THEY HAVE LENT A HELPING HAND.

NFRN Connect is our dedicated member callcentre to assist you with all queries and newbusiness opportunities.

Opening hours:Monday to Friday: 7am to 5pmWeekends & PublicHolidays: 7am to 11am*Free from UK landlinephones only. Chargesmay apply when callingfrom abroad or from amobile phone.

How to contact NFRN Connect:

NFRN Connect says

As a retailer it is not unreasonable to claim restitution whenyour supplier does not meet the standards you expect. Forstage 1 of the process you need to discuss your probleminformally with your wholesaler. If the complaint has not beensatisfactorily resolved by discussion within 48 hours, and it isserious or persistent, you are able to make a request that itbecomes a stage 2 PDC Formal Complaint. If you are unsurewhat you may be entitled to, download our guide torestitution, along with a vast amount of other information,from the NFRN’s website: www.nfrnonline.com.

HERE TO HELP

NFRN Connect says


If you or your customers come acrossany mistakes within a newspaper ormagazine please report them to NFRNConnect so we can raise them with thepublishers and advise your localwholesaler.

MISSING PAGESOnly after Retailer C had delivered hisHND copies of a best selling TV listingsmagazine did he spot some seriousmisprints in the edition.

Several pages were missing and theweekly TV guide only contained viewinginformation up until Thursday.

Knowing that the counter copies he hadleft were unsaleable and that his HNDcustomers would be wantingreplacements, he telephoned his newswholesaler to request these. However, thenews wholesaler said it was unable toassist and that the retailer needed tocontact the magazine’s publisher directly.

Instead, our member picked up thephone to NFRN Connect who thencontacted the magazine’s distributor andexplained the situation.

The distributor was not aware of anymisprinting but happily agreed to send outreplacement copies for the retailer’s newsshelves and for his HND customers.

NFRN Connect saysIf you discover any discrepancies pleasecontact your wholesaler immediately. Ifthese are not resolved, and to minimisethe impact on cashflow, members areencouraged to contact the NFRNConnect team as early as possible.

We would also remind members thatthey can opt out of a number ofservices offered via their newswholesaler including receiving thirdparty calls. This can be done via theNFRN Enough’s Enough campaign andby contacting NFRN Connect.

NFRN Connect says

It is crucial that members are obeyingall legislation and regulations in regardsto how they manage their businesses. Ifyou are ever unsure please call NFRNConnect in the first instance and wecan investigate and guide you in theright direction.

Further useful information can befound at www.gov.uk/data-protection-your-business/using-cctv.

Scratchcards can generate incrementalsales for retailers who will earn up to 6 per cent per scratchcard. If you havemade your supplier aware of anyconcerns but these have not beenresolved then pick up the phone oremail NFRN Connect as we may be able to assist.

NFRN Connect says

FULL REFUNDAs Retailer D had just paid nearly £300 viadirect debit for third party goods suppliedvia his news wholesaler, he was alarmed tohear that his account had been debited bya further £400.

Turning to NFRN Connect for assistance,he explained that such a mistake wouldhave a major impact on his cashflow.

As soon as the wholesaler was madeaware of this error it promised animmediate refund.

EXTRA CARDSAs stocks of scratchcards for the fifth andsixth windows of her display unit wererunning low, Retailer E naturally contactedthe National Lottery operator for more.

She was astounded to hear that whileextra supplies of the game for windowfive would be sent out, no extras forwindow six were available as some winningscratchcards had yet to be cashed andstocks of these could not be replaceduntil they were.

The retailer had never encountered thisissue before and was concerned becausewindow six would soon be empty.

She telephoned the NFRN Connectteam to see if they could help.

In turn, NFRN Connect spoke toCamelot’s care team who thanked themfor bringing the issue to its attention andpromised to contact the retailer directlyto provide a fuller explanation.

NFRN Connect says

Due to confidentiality of informationCamelot can only provide limitedresponses. It is recommended that youcheck your retailer handbook in thefirst instance when you have anyqueries/issues. If you still requireassistance call the freephone hotlineon 0800 840 5060 for further advice. Ifyou do not believe the response fromthe supplier has been satisfactorycontact the NFRN Connect team.

TERMINAL FAILUREWhen his lottery terminal failed to work,Retailer F carried out the usualtroubleshooting tasks recommended bythe operator including switching it on and off.

As that did not rectify the situation anengineer visited, who took some time toidentify the issue and to fix it.

It was, therefore, a shock when Camelotdemanded a call out fee of £230. Whenthe retailer queried this he was told theengineer had fixed the problem by simplyturning the terminal off and thenswitching it back on again.

NFRN Connect took up the case andwas told that any retailers challenging arecharge statement must [email protected], Camelot also advised that in thiscase it had passed the complaint to therelevant department and the retailerwould be contacted directly.

CAMERA RULESNFRN Connect was the first port of call fora member who was alarmed to read a tradepress article advising that retailers withCCTV had to comply with data protectionregulations, and warning that a shopkeeperhad been fined for failing to do so.

The retailer who featured in the articlehad to pay £200, with further costs of£439.28 and a victim surcharge of £20 afteradmitting that she had ignored warningsthat she was in breach of rules as shebelieved them to be spam.

Our member immediately contactedNFRN Connect to check that thisinformation was correct.

The NFRN Connect advisor checked withour head of operations MargaretMcCloskey and the NFRN’s legal advisorand both confirmed that a CCTV operatorshould be registered with the InformationCommissioner’s office.

They also issued a reminder that if youare using CCTV you must tell yourcustomers they may be recorded. This isusually done by displaying signs, whichmust be clearly visible and readable, in your shop.

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SPOTLIGHT

WE’VE ALL HEARD OF SELFIES,BUT NOW BY TAKING SHELFIESAND RESPONDING TO SURVEYSYOU CAN EARN SOME EXTRACASH. SMITHS NEWS CHANNELCONTROLLER MICHAELWILLIAMS EXPLAINS MORE.

TURNING THESPOTLIGHT ON

Q. Firstly, can you tell The Fed alittle more about What’s in Storeand why Smiths News launched it?A. For the more straightforward questionssuppliers often ask – that currently theyhave to ring round or send merchandisersinto the field for – we have created asimple online tool for retailers to let themsee what’s going on in their stores. Byanswering a couple of questions andtaking a photo, suppliers will be able tolog into a reporting portal to understandwhat’s on display, what’s not, howpromotions are looking, what’s going on inthe category etc.

Q. What do retailers have to do?A. Suppliers let us have their questionsand usually request a photo (we call these Shelfies!) as well. We create a minisurvey, text it to the registered stores and they complete it online. All customers need is a smartphone. A standard survey takes about 30 seconds to complete.

Q. What do they get in return?A. The retailer gets £1 credited to themeach and every time they complete a survey.

Q. And how do they receive this credit?A. The retailer doesn’t need to doanything. If they have completed a surveythey will be automatically credited on thenext available Smiths News invoice.

Q. How often will these surveys andShelfie promotions run?A. We’re planning to get up to four or fivea week; that’s up to a fiver in credit everyweek for customers, and all for less thanfive minutes work.

Q. How many publishers have yousigned up and can you name names?A. We’ve had lots of interest from thenewspaper and magazine supply chain andwe are currently finalising plans withmultiple suppliers.

Q. And are there any non-newssuppliers involved? If so, who?A. We have had interest from outside oursupply chain and were even talking tosuppliers at last month’s NFRN Conferencein Torquay. The service isn’t restricted tonewspapers and magazines and we arefollowing up several leads from othersuppliers into independent stores.

Q. How many retailers are involvedand how do retailers register theirinterest?A. Currently, we have over 1,500 registeredcustomers. If a retailer wants to join theysimply text ‘IN’ to 07839 821100. There isno cost to join.

Q. Is there a limit to the number ofShelfies they can send in?A. There is. It’s one Shelfie per survey, per store.

Q. Is there a limit to the number ofretailers who can participate?A. Yes, but we’re not there yet and we stillhave room for new customers!

Q. What about customers suppliedby Menzies – can they take part?A. No, as payment has to be via a SmithsNews invoice we can only include thosecustomers with which we tradenewspapers and magazines, PMP or Jack’s Bean’s.

THE SHELFIE

Summer is the key selling

period for puzzles!


NEWSPRO

Puzzles, Children’s and the Women’s Weekliescategories all enjoy summer uplifts in salesduring July and August. Frontline recommendstocking these best sellers to maximise your

summer sales. In the independent channel,these three categories deliver £73 million perannum so by focusing on these titles yoursummer could be brighter than you thought!

SIZZLING SUMMER SALESFROM FRONTLINE


NEWSPRO

The new scheme will recognise a ‘Newsagent of theMonth’ in each of the four NFRN regions – Scotlandand Northern Ireland, Northern, Midlands andSouthern. All monthly winners will automatically be shortlisted for the National Newsagent of the Year title, which this year is being sponsored by Mail Newspapers.

Both awards seek to reward excellence across thenewspaper category, focusing on achievements andinnovation in display quality, support of promotionalactivity and general sales performance.

Andy Law, Mail Newspapers independents retail salesmanager (pictured above), said: “These awards aredesigned to give some much-deserved recognition tothe brilliant work that independent retailers up anddown the country are doing to drive newspaper sales.

“The Mail titles continue to outperform on retailsales and independent retailers play a critical role inthat success with their day-in-day-out support ofnewspaper sales and of the promotional activities werun throughout the year.

“We’ve seen from previous competitions andpromotions that NFRN members are highly innovativeand competitive and I’m really excited that we’ll nowbe formally recognising their outstanding contributionto the category on a monthly basis.”

NFRN chief executive Paul Baxter said: “We’redelighted to partner with Mail Newspapers on this newawards programme and equally pleased that this yearthe newspaper publisher is sponsoring our NationalNewsagent of the Year award.

“Independent retailers are the news industry’s unsungheroes and deserve recognition for the fantastic workthey do to get newspapers into customers’ hands everyday of the week.”

The Mail Newspapers NFRN Newsagent of theMonth award launches this month (July) and memberscan enter via an application form on NFRN Online –www.nfrnonline.com/mail-award. Entries must bereceived by the end of each month, with the winnersannounced by the middle of the following month.

MAIL NEWSPAPERS ANDTHE NFRN ARE WORKINGTOGETHER ON A NEWNATIONWIDE AWARD TORECOGNISE THE UK’S

MOST DEDICATED ANDINNOVATIVE INDEPENDENT

RETAIL NEWSAGENTS.

MONTHLY AWARD TO REWARD OURUNSUNG HEROES

Stock itFrom the

publishers of

TV Choice the UK’s No.1 magazine

Great TV themed puzzles

Comparison of costs between Menzies Distribution supply and an average sub retail supply

Weekly

newspaper sales

approx profit Weekly

magazine sales

approx profit *Weekly carriage charge

Weekly Profit /Loss

£150.00 £32.00 £0.00 £0.00 £32.82 £0.82

Approximate Profit Based On Average Weekly Sub Retail Supply

Weekly Newspaper

salesDiscount (%) approx profit

Your current Magazine

salesDiscount (%) approx profit Profit/Loss

£150.00 10 £15.00 £0.00 0 £0.00 £15.00


STORE2DOOR

While many retailers no longer enjoy theprofits they used to make from the newscategory, they are loathe to remove theseproducts from their stores as newspapersand magazines still drive footfall and bringin significant ancillary sales that couldotherwise be lost.

If your news sales are below £150 perweek you WILL be losing money on thecategory, so it’s worth considering gettinga supply from a fellow retailer. Subretailing is also worth considering if newsis only a very small part of your in-storeoffer and you want it to become lessonerous, or if you don’t currently stocknewspapers and magazines but would liketo do so.

For those with news supplies under £350per week, moving to a sub retail supplycould prove to be cheaper and lessstressful than the current solution.

The beauty of a sub retail supply is itsadaptability. While news wholesalersoperate a rigid ‘one size fits all approach’for independent traders, it is up to you toagree the terms of supply with yoursupplying retailer.

The table below shows a comparison ofprofit between a news wholesaler supplyand a sub retail supply – this doesn’tinclude staff time taken up in theadministration of a traditional news supplywhich will be greatly reduced under a subretail solution.

So what can I expect if I decide to get my supply from a sub retailer?• No deposit• A timely delivery• Only what you order• Returns collection• Zero delivery costs• Approximately 10 per cent discount

off the RRP• Full SOR• Simple administration• Mutually agreed payment terms.

Other benefits could include voucherredemption, the opportunity to pick upyour supplies rather than get themdropped off and a magazine andcollectables supply.

Next stepsIf a sub retail supply is the direction youwish to take, you need to locate a retailerwho is willing to provide this service andreach an agreement with them on how it will work. You can do this by chatting to colleagues who trade near your store,use your local knowledge to approachstores with larger news bills or newsrounds or call NFRN Connect who, viaStore2Door, may be able to locatesomebody in your area.

The most successful sub retailarrangements work best if you formalisethis relationship with an agreement thatboth parties can call upon, should therebe a need.

An agreement template and further in-depth advice on sub retailing can befound at nfrnonline.com/subretailing.

A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDETO SUB RETAILINGNO LONGER MAKING MONEY ON NEWS BUT STILL SEENEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES AS A FOOTFALL DRIVER? IFTHIS SOUNDS LIKE YOU, THEN SUB RETAILING COULD BE THEANSWER. NEWS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER PHILWILLIAMS EXPLAINS WHY.

• Retention of a must have footfallcategory

• A personal service• Control over what you receive• No more unwanted titles or goods• No more administration so you

can spend time on other parts ofyour business

• Potentially greater profit

*Figures are based on seven day supply, newspapers only and on assumptions of discounts offered by the supplying retailer. To insertyour own figures you can access the table by following https://nfrnonline.com/ready-reckoner-sub-retailing/

SUB RETAILING BENEFITS

Approximately 5,000 independent

traders are thought to receive

news supply via sub retailing.

Carriage charges have increased by a

whopping 11 per cent over the past

five years while copy sales have fallen

39 per cent during that period.

In a recent NFRN online survey

2,148 members expressed an

interest in learning more about

sub retailing.

Publishers and news

wholesalers have agreed to

support sub retailing.

There are limited areas across the country where passive selling

opportunities are available – retailers in these areas have more than

one news supplier, paying a second, if not third carriage charge.

High entry cost levels, onerous administration

and deposit demands from wholesalers

discourages new entrants to the news category.


STORE2DOOR

THE SHOPOFFERIf you have customers who areteachers but who don’t already takea copy of TES and you don’t alreadystock the title you should register forthis offer:

You will be allocated two copiesfor a four week period.

There will be a chance to win aprize for taking part.

You will receive a £10 Amazonvoucher if you sell a copyconsistently over a five week period.

If you miss out on this offer it willbe repeated in January and April 2018.To register for this offer please callNFRN Connect on 0800 121 6376 andquote TES Shop offer.

THE HNDOFFERIf your registration to this scheme isaccepted by TES you will be asked todeliver two copies of TES to yourlocal school for a four week period.This is a free copy and you will not beable to charge for delivery during thisfour week period. However, you cancharge for delivery for any futuresales gained from this activity. Thisoffer is limited to the first 50 who areaccepted onto the scheme. Futuresimilar activity is planned for Januaryand April 2018.

To maximise the effectiveness ofthis offer, TES will ensure all copy ispolybagged and will include apersonalised flyer which will informthe school that you are thedistributing agent and how to contactyou to place an order.

Once you have been acceptedonto the scheme and your deliverieshave been validated you will receive£50 worth of Amazon vouchers.To register for this offer please callNFRN Connect on 0800 121 6376 andquote HND offer.

öPut simply, TES is any teacherùs must have and if youeither have a school nearby or know of any customerswho are teachers you should consider registering...õ

Option 1

Option 2

Launched back in 1910 as a free insert toThe Times, the TES went standalone – fora penny a copy – in 1914. Today it is read by just about everyone in education –from classroom teachers and assistants to heads, educational suppliers andgovernment policy-makers. It is theessential weekly intelligence for theeducation professional.

Priced at £3.20 this trade/professionalweekly produces £500,000 in annualrevenue. TES is dedicated to supportingthe country’s teachers. Its mission is toenable great teaching by helping educators

find the tools and technology they needto excel and supporting them throughouttheir career and professional development.

Put simply, TES is any teacher’s musthave and if you either have a schoolnearby or know of any customers who areteachers, you should consider registeringfor either the in-store or HND promotionsoutlined below. These two distinct offerstake place from the September 8 issue.

TEAMING UPWITH TESFOR THE BEST PART OF THE CENTURY THE TES HAS BEENBRITAIN’S BEST-READ EDUCATIONAL WEEKLY AND NOW THENFRN HAS TEAMED UP WITH THE TES TO OFFER MEMBERSTWO OFFERS.

DETAILS

YOUR

Shop Name: Name: Address: Post code: Tel: Fax: E-mail:

NEXT STEP

For supplier contact and information tick the subject you are interested in, then post or fax this page to: NFRN Commercial, Yeoman House, Sekforde Street, London, EC1R 0HF or fax to: 020 7017 8897

PARTNERS

For more information call 0800 028 7283or visit www.shoplinkonline.co.uk

SHOPLINKFor more information call 0800 121 6376or visit www.nfrnonline.com

NFRN

NFRN

Visit www.shoplinkonline.co.ukor call the Shoplink Telesales Team

on free phone 0800 028 7283

Financial co-operative, owned and run by its members. Loans and current accounts available.

Utilities Broker assisting with:· Energy Savings· Water & Sewage charges (England and Scotland)· Rates Appeals

Deliver greater profits from your Newspaper and Magazine category with this free NFRN exclusive service.

N3 is a complete NewsCategory Managementsolution and is able to offeryou excellent benefitsnormally only seen inMultiple Retail Groups.

Your better alternative to conventional shop and home insurance companies. Pay weekly option now available.

Lease RenewalsRent Renewals

Looking to or already offering a Delivery Service? Store2Door will help with your every need.

Confidential support, direction andsolutions to financial problems and worries.

Earn a great margin of 55% on

the £1 range.

Get your shop Summer ready with these great deals from Shoplink! New Summer Flavours from SnowShock Schools out, stock up on summer toys Become a destination store for travel essentials Stock up on great BBQ tray sets and accessories Replenishment stock for Frappino, Gelato, Ice Cream and SnowShock Slush machines

www.shoplinkonline.co.uk or call the telesales team on 0800 028 7283

All machines available on competitive finance rates via our website

Joining fee waived, debit card rate

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100’s of promotions offering

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Pre paid funeral plans for

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Food to go available at

excellent rates.

Cost Effective Low Energy Refrigeration

Solutions.

Debit Card rate of 0.4%.

0.25% on Debit Cards,

Drives Retailer Profits.

Discount available to NFRN members

who set up a DD mandate.

Earn 50% POR onfully TPD2 compliant

products

Exclusive 2.5% discount.

Free survey, delivery and installation.

Your free drop shipment service go to Shoplinkonline.co.uk/

directenquiry

Excellent NFRN Discount.

Merchandising & fixtures available.

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NEWSPAPER MARGINS AND RATES

Monday to Friday editions

Price Margin per copy (pence)

Daily Mail 65p 14.50

Daily Record 70p 14.98

Daily Record Scot 70p 14.98

Daily Star 30p 7.26

Express 55p 13.31

Express Scot 50p 12.10

FT £2.70 54.00

Guardian £2.00 44.00

Herald £1.30 29.90

i 50p 12.00

Mirror 70p 14.98

Mirror Scot 75p 16.05

Racing Post £2.40 55.00

Scotsman £1.50 33.70

Sun 50p 11.15

Telegraph £1.60 34.40

Times £1.60 34.44

Saturday newspapers


Daily Mail £1.00 21.00

Daily Record £1.00 21.40

Daily Star 50p 12.08

Express 80p 17.15

Express Scot 80p 18.00

FT £3.80 85.88

Guardian £2.90 63.80

Herald £1.70 39.10

i 60p 14.40

Mirror £1.10 22.66

Mirror Scot £1.00 21.00


Scotsman £1.95 43.80

Sun 70p 14.98

Telegraph £2.00 48.00

Times £1.70 36.55

Sunday newspapers


Mail on Sunday £1.70 35.70

Star on Sunday 90p 19.89

Sunday Express £1.40 29.65

Sunday Herald £1.70 35.70

Sunday Mirror £1.50 31.50

Observer £3.00 73.50

Sunday People £1.50 31.50


Scotland on Sunday £1.70 39.95

Sun on Sunday £1.10 23.00

Sunday Mail £1.70 35.70

Sunday Mail Scot £1.70 35.70

Sunday Sport £1.00 24.30

Sunday Telegraph £2.00 45.50

Sunday Times £2.50 52.50

Highest margin Lowest margin

NEWSPAPER PAYMENTSYour at a glance guide to newspaper margins and payment rates for handling third party inserts

Insert weight Original Scheme

Mail Mirror News Uk Guardian Telegraph

Cumulative No Yes No No No No

0-69g n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

70-100g 1.50p 2.50p 2.57p 2.70p 2.75p 2.93p

101-200g 2.00p 3.00p 3.36p 3.30p 3.35p 3.65p

201-300g 4.00p 5.00p 6.09p 5.50p 5.75p 6.26p

301-400g 5.00p 7.00p 7.43p 6.70p 7.00p 7.06p

401-500g * 7.50p * * * *

Over 500g * 8.00p * * * *

* By negotiation

PAYMENTS FOR THIRD PARTY ADVERTISING INSERTS

You must be registered with your wholesaler to receive payments

BRAND NEWON SALE NOW!

MEGA STARTER PACK: £6.99 RRP

TRADING CARD PACKET: £1.00 RRP GAME GUIDE STARTER PACK: £3.99 RRP

www.paninigroup.com


Two prizes of £50 cash must be won!

J GE P

YL B

S F Q A LD R N I MA J O C U QF I D P W

IH L

C A M T B NN S K E D

BUKEFY

e prizmust b

e puzzlewo prizes of £50 cash must be won!

S F Q A LD R N I MA J O C U

J GE PQ Y

BUK

F I D P WC A M T BN S K E D

W L BN IH L

EFY

To include your event:

[email protected] DIARY DATES

JULY 2017Monday 3 NECTuesday 4 NEC

NFCYorkshire DC

Tuesday 11 Northern DEROI DC

Wednesday 12 North West DCThursday 13 Wales DC

NFRN trade show,Menzies Wakefield

Tuesday 18 Eastern Counties DCSouth West DC

Monday 24 South East DCTuesday 25 London DC

AUGUST 2017Tuesday 1 NECWednesday 2 NECTuesday 15 Yorkshire DE

London DENorth West DE

Monday 21 Kent DCMonday 28 Bank HolidayTuesday 29 NECWednesday 30 NEC

NFC

SEPTEMBER 2017Sunday 3 South East Region

trade day

Monday 4 National CouncilTuesday 5 National CouncilMonday 11 Wales DCTuesday 12 London DC

Northern DCEast Midlands DCROI DE

Thursday 14 Scottish DETuesday 19 North West DC

Northern Ireland DEEastern Counties DC

Thursday 21 September trade day Menzies Linwood

Monday 25 West Midlands DETuesday 26 South East DC

What’s In Store is a new initiative from Smiths News that allows you to show your suppliers their brands, on your shelves.How it works:

For more information, please contact us at [email protected].

*You can choose how many surveys you respond to and if you decide it’s not for you, you can opt out at any time.

We look forward to seeing some fantastic images roll in!

Sign up by texting INto 07839821100

Click on the text link, answer two questions

and take a photo

Receive £1 cashback on your next Smiths News

invoice

Documents

THE MAGAZINE FOR INDEPENDENT RETAILERS - NFRN · PDF fileTHE MAGAZINE FOR INDEPENDENT RETAILERS @NFRN_online facebook.com/nfrnonline News Letters Public affairs NFRN Awards and much