According to the NFRN: It is the tenth time this year that cover price rises on the group’s titles have not been accompanied by pro rata terms. Margins have only been maintained in another seven instances.
In the latest moves the price of the weekly Hampshire Chronicle has gone up by a whopping 30p, from 70p to £1, but the margin that retailers receive has been sliced from 25 per cent to just 20 per cent.
Monday to Friday editions of the Bournemouth Echo, meanwhile, have risen in price by 20p to 65p while the Saturday edition is also up 20p to 85p. At the same time the retail margin has been cut from 22.6 per cent to 21 per cent.
Commenting on behalf of the NFRN, Vice President Colin Fletcher, who chairs the Federation’s news operations committee and has a store in Hampshire, said: “This is yet another kick in the teeth for independent newsagents who have given unstinting support to these local papers.
“The Hampshire Chronicle is one of the oldest newspapers in the country and the Bournemouth Echo is well established in the town, but both are treating their readers and newsagents with huge contempt. Such price hikes, accompanied by income reductions for retailers who are already suffering from rising costs, is nothing short of despicable and it’s possible that both papers could ultimately fall on their own swords as a result of these actions.”
