Most convenience store retailers would stay with their current newspaper and magazine wholesaler, even though they feel they are receiving poor service, a survey has found. A poll of 1,500 members of the Association of News Retailing (ANR) found that 67% would continue to use their current wholesaler if they were given a choice of other suppliers, despite giving them poor marks for their efforts to grow newsagents’ businesses. Magazine supply allocation problems were a common issue, with most respondents saying that they received supplies of magazines that they had not ordered. Dawsons News came out top for service and delivery, with Smith’s News best for business development. However, wholesalers scored only an average of 4.4 out of 10 for the question “Does your wholesaler do enough to help you grow your business?” News wholesalers also performed poorly when compared with other sectors. ANR members scored the news trade 6.8 out of 10 compared to 8.8 for non-news delivery wholesalers.

Topics