The NFRN says: The Daily Mirror has shown the NFRN that it has no Christmas spirit by announcing that from January 4 it is increasing the cover price of its Saturday edition by 10p to 80p but cutting the percentage terms that retailers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland receive from 22 per cent to 21.4 per cent.
In a miserable attempt to justify its action it claims this will bring the newspaper in line with the Daily Mail and Daily Express, which both offer margins of 21.4 per cent on its Saturday papers.
In Scotland, meanwhile, newsagents will be hit even harder, with the 10p increase to 80p accompanied by a terms reduction from 23.8 per cent to 21.4 per cent.
On New Year’s Eve the price of Monday to Friday editions will rise in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by 5p to 55p and in Scotland by 5p to 60p but terms will be maintained at 23.3 per cent and 23.8 per cent respectively.
In a letter to retailers advising of the newspaper publisher’s move, circulation director John Howard said: “In these challenging times, we very much value the retail support which is afforded the Mirror and we thank you in advance for the outstanding contribution you continue to make on our behalf.”
In response NFRN National President Colin Fletcher said: “Whatever has happened to the spirit of goodwill over Christmas and the New Year at Mirror Group Newspapers? Taking the hard earned cash of independent newsagents who are currently facing torrid times is unacceptable any time of the year but is particularly unpalatable over the festive period.”
Mr Fletcher continued: “And to make matters worse this is the third time in as many years that Mirror Group Newspapers has put up its cover price while cutting retailer terms. Yet again it seems that Scrooge is alive and kicking in the offices of the Daily Mirror.”
Meanwhile, over at DC Thomson’s Sunday Post a 10p increase from £1.30 to £1.40 is being accompanied by a 1 per cent cut in margin from 23 per cent to 22 per cent.
NFRN Chief Executive Paul Baxter said: “News retailers are already hacked off by the poor delivery performance of the Sunday Post which has been topping the leader board in terms of late deliveries throughout 2013. There have been prolonged instances of lateness and re-running in the North of England, together with unacceptable delays caused by software issues with the new presses.
“But DC Thomson is failing to get to grips with the problems and performance is still poor. For instance there have been 80 instances of lateness and 60 instances of missed cut offs during October, November and December and in this month alone the Sunday Post has been late on 22 occasions, while the cut off into wholesale has been missed 14 times..
“Now DC Thomson has shown even greater disregard for the people who sell the title by cutting their terms and not even being brave enough to formally notify NFRN members.
“We will be reminding all our members that the rrp of the Sunday Post is legally only a recommended retail price and therefore not enforceable and that retailers are free to decide the ultimate selling point to ensure they receive the margin they deserve.
“It will also come as no surprise if members decide to throw all their backing behind the Herald and Scotsman who really recognise the worth of news retailers and support them with higher margins.”
