The NFRN says: Just days after helping to tarnish the Sunday newspaper market by slashing the cover price and retailer terms on the Star, Northern & Shell has announced that it is turning its attention to wrecking the celebrity market by halving the cover price of OK! magazine in a move which will see newsagents receive just 25p for every copy sold.
Outraged NFRN National President Kieran McDonnell (pictured) said: “At a time of falling sales in both the newspaper and magazine market and when publishers need all the support possible from their retail partners to help capture every possible sale, I cannot understand why Richard Desmond should wish to launch a further assault on our livelihoods.
“As if his actions in devaluing the weekend market by producing poor quality Saturday and Sunday editions of the Star and pricing them at just 50p are not enough, he now seems hell-bent on destroying the celebrity magazine market. It’s no surprise that independent retailers throughout the UK are now considering removing their support for this publication.”
To make matters worse latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation show that OK! reported a 17.9 per cent drop in sales in the second half of 2011 – the biggest decline of any title in the sector – and a 13.9 per cent fall year on year. It is now in fourth place in the celebrity sector, behind the likes of Take a Break and Closer.
NFRN Chief Executive Paul Baxter said: “To get the same return, independent retailers would need to double their sales – a highly unlikely scenario given that interest in the celebrity market has been fading for several years.
“As the printed cover price on newspapers and magazines is as recommended retail price only, retailers are legally free to set any price should they wish to do so. Judging by the comments that I have received from irate NFRN members, over coming weeks retailers are likely to oversticker copies of OK! magazine with a price of their determination.”
