UK newsagents are making 14 percent less money from newspapers than they were a decade ago – and the amount is set to fall a farther in the next five years, says retail analyst Mintel.
The retailers’ income from newspapers has fallen from £3.4 billion to £2.9 billion since 1999, and Mintel forecasts it will dip by 44 percent, at constant currency rates, between 2010 and 2015.
Newsagents are making 10 percent more money than a decade ago, because magazines, cards, stationery, cigarettes and book sales have all grown.
But Mintel – in its British Lifestyles 2010, Focusing on the Essentials study – reckons newsagents’ income will dip 21 percent, at constant currency rates, between 2010 and 2015…
“This sector appears to be in long-term decline, reflecting changes in consumer lifestyles and major changes in how information is acquired and consumed,” it says.
“This loss of revenue from online sales will force more publishers into charging for online content and will increasingly personalise how and when consumer access their content.
“An ageing population suggests that the potential audience for certain sectors of the news and print market