End of an era: Newsagency home deliveries to cease in Sydney

Long before the rise of the internet and news that was literally a click of a button away, having the newspaper home-delivered by the local newsagent was the ultimate way of waking up to the           news. It’s still a service many people across Australia prefer, but those days now appear to be outnumbered.

Nine and News Corp have announced that they will be ceasing newsagent-led home deliveries for their print titles in Sydney’s metro market from next year. According to The Australian, newsagents across parts of Sydney and New South Wales have been asked to stop delivering newspapers from March 2020 and will be replaced by the National Distribution Services Pty Ltd and News Emporium Pty Ltd.

Affected newsagencies were reportedly sent a letter notifying them of the changes last week, with Nine and News Corp said to be keen on discussing the possibility of newsagencies selling their various titles in store. The announcement follows 18 months of consultation with newsagents, who will now be under pressure to hand over their customers’ personal details to Nine and Newscorp.

Newsagencies currently hold their customers’ information and it prevents publishers from having a commercial relationship with readers of their titles. Publications including The Australian and The Daily Telegraph – which are published by News Corp – will be impacted by the changes. The Sydney CBD will be excluded from the changes.

A spokesperson for Nine told Starts at 60: “Nine has assessed options for a consolidated distribution model for the Sydney metropolitan area in a move designed to ensure continuity of supply to its customers. Nine believes consolidation across retail and home delivery territories was required to sustain the delivery of The Sydney Morning Herald, The Sun-Herald and The Australian Financial Review to our customers and retailers across Sydney.”

The spokesperson explained that News Corp announced in July that would terminate its existing newsagent distribution contracts across Sydney (excluding the CBD) and appoint a single distributor from early 2020.

Of course, this news will be sad for many Baby Boomers who either still get their newspaper home-delivered by their local newsagent or remember being part of the delivery process. Many people who were children in the ‘60s and ‘70s likely delivered the newspaper on behalf of their local newsagency as one of their first jobs.

It was quite common for youngsters to hop on their bikes or scooters and ride from house to house stuffing papers in letterboxes or tossing them over fences before shouting a swift “coo-wee” to the home owner. Similarly, there was something special about waking up each morning to the daily newspaper sitting at your doorstep, no questions asked.

Meanwhile, many Australians also purchase their magazines and newspapers directly from their newsagency in store, with the Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association recently revealing that business is still booming. According to a recent statement by the association, the lottery and newsagents industry is Australia’s largest independent retail and home delivery group.

Across the country, there are more than 5,000 independent, family-owned news and lottery agency, which employs more than 20,000 people and turns over $6 billion.

“Newsagents are an important part of every community. When any new shopping centre opens, they seek a newsagent to fill a space in the centre as they are a great drawcard for foot traffic and provide a unique range of products and services,” a statement read. “They are friendly faces offering important services, in-demand products, recreation, and community initiatives. And as newsagents continue to evolve and adapt to changing conditions, the industry further proves its value and cements its position in the future of retail.”

While the association acknowledges that there’s been a decline in sales across traditional categories such as newspapers, newsagencies are changing the way they operate to survive.

Starts at 60 has contacted Nine for comment.