Staff and systems key to sales success

THESE are testing times for the industry.

Falls in revenue for newspapers’ key advertiser segment, Retail, have hit quickly and fiercely. Top retailer Harvey Norman has this week reported a 31 percent slide in profit. Owner Gerry Harvey was on TV complaining about his margin on electronic goods, blaming that as a major issue. Though, of course, we all know his type of store uses good deals on flat-screen TVs to drive store traffic and sell other items at a better margin.

By Mark Hollands, CEO, PANPA

David Jones, another Australian retailer, has seen a 6.3 percent fall in sales – though it is not complaining about its margin. However, both these major retailers’ troubles underline the economic difficulties that our publishers are facing. And unfortunately, there are similar stories in Singapore and New Zealand.

It’s not like the old days when retailers were not the major part of a big metro’s revenue. The dollars used to come from classifieds, of course, and newspapers were never dependent on a small number of clients to be successful.

Free seminars will help you host a great event

A GOOD idea never goes astray. And with many an editor saying they want to do more to meet the readers, the ability to hold quality, small-scale events can be valuable to the newspaper business.

The Australian Conference and Events Bureau is holding a series of seminar in about 10 days – not much use for our New Zealand colleagues (sorry about that). The ACEB puts on an excellent seminar and has previously offered valuable advice to members and non-members alike.

These particular seminars are free. The bureau promises to cover entertainment & speakers, audio visual, theming, transport, tours, merchandise, exhibition hire, event management & team building. If you need to add public or private events to your media schedule next year, then this seminar should be a great starting point for new ideas or a fresh approach.

Adelaide – 18th November 2008 (Mercure Grosvenor Hotel Adelaide)
Sydney – 18th November 2008 (Novotel Rockford Darling Harbour)
Brisbane – 20th November 2008 (Novotel Brisbane)
Darwin – 25th November 2008 (Novotel Darwin Atrium)
Melbourne – 25th November 2008 (Mercure Spring Street)

To register, click here. It’s free, but places are limited.