Election week beckons

If ever there was a time for independent retailers to promote their news and current affairs titles to customers, this coming week is it.

In just over a week’s time, the UK will know which political party will be leading the country, and while the possible outcomes could have largely varying effects on the future of small businesses, what retailers can do is make money out of the increased awareness in politics by promoting their news and current affairs magazines.

Thanks to the added excitement of live debates between the three major parties, even more people are taking notice and getting involved. Satirical title and bestselling magazine on the newsstand in the sector, Private Eye, is expecting to improve on its performance at the last general election in 2005 when its sales grew by more than 23,000 copies, while the New Statesman is looking for similar growth to five years ago when its circulation was around 17% higher than the rest of the year’s average sale.

Meanwhile, The Economist, which sells, on average, almost 35,000 copies a week, is aiming to boost its sales by a huge 40%.

So, when your flurry of news and current affairs weeklies arrive in your shop tomorrow, make sure you strongly promote them to your customers, and you may even pick up some regular readers.