Stores should expect bumper sales in the run-up to the General Election, with publishers boosting print runs in preparation.
“Previous General Elections have always sparked public interest and generated additional sales in the build-up, along with the weekend after the result. We expect this year to be no different,” explained Daily Mail Group (DMG) head of circulation Shaun Jones.
The i’s key account manager, Paul Bacon, told Better Retailing the sales boost had already begun. “We are already seeing a sales uplift since the election date was announced and we expect the uplift to increase as we get closer,” he said.
The Fed’s head of news, Brian Murphy, advised retailers to be proactive to make sure they make the most of the boost.
“Headlines sell,” he said. “Put it on the counter, dual site where you can and revise orders. Look out for a second edition with the results. Local papers also perform well with coverage of new MPs.”
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Jones also advised retailers that “the timing of the summer election coincides with the Euros in Germany, with both Scotland and England involved, so there’s a bumper few weeks of sales potential ahead”.
He promised that DMG would support retailers by providing increased supplies, and said: “I would encourage retailers to contact their wholesaler to request any specific requirements for the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday, i and iweekend.”
Bacon agreed: “We are printing more copies to ensure increased availability to cope with demand. Retailers can take advantage of i’s non-partisan reporting by making customers aware and, of course, ensuring copies are placed prominently throughout the election campaign.”
A spokesperson from Guardian News & Media added: “We always prepare for additional distribution to meet increased reader and retailer demand. This includes supplying extra copies, printing more editions, and promotional activity encouraging people to pick up The Guardian and The Observer newspapers, and Guardian Weekly.”
Bacon told Better Retailing now was the time to bring in new readers as voters seek to stay informed and many are considering switching parties. He said: “i’s readership understands that it will report the facts and contain opinion from all sides of the political spectrum, but will allow them to make up their own mind on polling day. With other titles, this is not the case, although many readers of other newspapers welcome hearing sentiments similar to their own. There is an opportunity for occasional purchasers, who do not wish to be told who to vote for, to get a more balanced view, and this is where we expect to pick up additional readers.”
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