Scottish Newstrade Steering Group to revitalise trade

SLR and News UK join forces with some of Scotland’s top newstrade retailers to revitalise the newstrade in Scotland and help others capitalise on this still vital category.

Some of Scotland’s most prominent retailers gathered recently at News Scotland’s offices in Glasgow to celebrate the inaugural meeting of the new Scottish Newstrade Steering Group, set up jointly by SLR and News UK. The Group has been created in order revitalise the newstrade in Scotland and help Scotland’s wider local retailing community make more of what remains one of the most important categories in local retailing, generating significant profits and massive footfall every day for retailers across the country.

The launch Group comprises retailers from several major fascia groups and geographic areas, all with an interest in developing their newstrade category and using it to drive more profits from their businesses.

Our plan is to run a 12-month calendar of activity in-store and report our work and results back through the pages of SLR.

We have chosen News UK and News Scotland as partners because they are unquestionably committed to the newstrade in Scotland at a level that outstrips all other publishers in terms of investment in both their own titles and the wider category.

The Group is in the unique position of being able to actively help inform News UK’s decision-making process on activity which takes place in the Scottish marketplace.

The News Scotland and News UK marketing teams have some exciting plans for the category over the coming months and years – and this Group offers the exclusive opportunity to have an influence on how those plans are executed in stores all across Scotland to enable maximum effect and maximise sales and profits for retailers.

Members are already having a direct and major influence on how News Scotland invests in the category. The establishment of the Group reflects News Scotland’s firm belief in the importance of listening to retailers, seeking their advice and acting upon it.

Over the next few years, News Scotland has ambitious targets that will directly benefit retailers right across the country.

Dougie Anderson, Business Development Manager at Eros Retail, commented during the first meeting of the Group: “It’s refreshing to see a major publisher seek the views of retailers this way. Often we only hear about initiatives after they have launched and we have no opportunity to help tailor the activity to make sure it works on the ground in our stores. I’m looking forward to having a direct say in how the category can be developed for the benefit of all retailers in Scotland.”