Newsagents and Book Retailers in Australia - Industry Market Research Report

Agony column: The soaring popularity of online media and publishing has been bad news for SMEs

The Newsagents and Book Retailers industry has faced tough trading conditions over the past five years. Declining sales of printed publications and increasing competition from international online retailers have placed considerable pressure on operators over the period. Competition from external operators, including supermarkets and department stores, has also negatively affected the industry. Trends in household discretionary income, consumer sentiment and the popularity of online shopping have negatively affected demand for industry products over the past five years. Industry revenue is expected to decline at an annualised 8.3% over the five years through 2022-23, to $2.5 billion. The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to place downward pressure on industry revenue since its outbreak in early 2020. Industry revenue is anticipated to decline by 2.8% in the current year, hindered by a drop in discretionary income and continued strong growth in online shopping.

Operators in the industry primarily retail newspapers, books and magazines. Industry players may operate as independent businesses, as part of a retail chain of stores or under a franchised model. Newspapers and books are largely purchased from the relevant wholesalers and then sold via stores or online sites to end consumers. Players that operate purely online are excluded from the industry.

This report covers the scope, size, disposition and growth of the industry including the key sensitivities and success factors. Also included are five year industry forecasts, growth rates and an analysis of the industry's key players and their market shares.