InPost Newstrade (formerly Menzies Distribution) is making changes to its carriage charge model following discussions with the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed).
In a letter to its UK customers sent out today (10 February) the news wholesaler has announced it is to decrease the base charge to support retailers with lower sales.
For all other customers, the increase - which takes effect from April 5 - is being capped at £4.99 per store a week. In the Republic of Ireland, carriage charges are being frozen.
The Fed’s national president, Mo Razzaq, said: “The Fed has been in discussion with InPost Newstrade about the difficulties our members are facing in such challenging financial times. The fact it has listened – and more importantly – acted on our members’ concerns is positive and we’re pleased to see it taking steps to protect smaller news stores.
“That said, the Fed still does not support the carriage charge model, and will continue to press for an alternative. We want our supply chain partners to get round the table to explore better ways of operating that mean publishers and wholesalers are not piling on more costs on hard-pressed retailers who can ill afford to pay them.”
In the letter to customers In Post Newstrade MD, Grant Jordan, said: “We remain committed to working alongside our partners to support the long-term sustainability of the newspaper and magazine category, with service excellence and customer satisfaction always remaining our priority.”
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