Which Kit? Magazine (an attack)
Discussion
TOP SECRET HUSH - DON'T PASS IT ON Wholesalers have recently released their new ‘rankings’
. For those who don’t know what rankings are
, they’re the magazine industry’s ‘Top of the Pops’ chart. Basically shops need to know what’s selling so that they know what to stock. Fact is there are 3,000 titles available, all competing for the same shelf space. The lower down the chart a magazine falls
, the harder it is for it to recover because it’s put at the disadvantage of being placed on view in fewer places. Which kit fell 53 places from 721st to 774th
. Its average sales quantity dropped from 7,143 to 6,429 (an 11% fall, just in the past few months
. Sad, isn’t it?
Den
. 
) Wacky Racer said:
Why don't you give Fibly a ring and send him your commiserations.....
Hello Peter
. I know you’re out there, tuning into these discussions
. I keep phoning your number but keep getting through to RV Dynamics, Razer Sportscars or Unique Autocraft, 
so I thought a written response would be more appropriate. It would seem that my letters would also end up at one of the aforementioned companies too
. Given that you’re not involved with them, I suppose that would explain why you haven’t answered any of my previous letters. So, I thought this forum would suffice to pass on my commiserations. Jolly bad show old boy, what with your utter integrity and all
. I wish I could offer you some advice, but I can’t. Perhaps you might consider early retirement? I know two journalists who’d be willing to take Which Kit? off your hands. Subject to price and contract. How much could you afford to give them. 
? Den.
kitcarman said:
Why don't you give Fibly a ring and send him your commiserations.....
Hello Peter
It would seem that my letters would also end up at one of the aforementioned companies too
So, I thought this forum would suffice to pass on my commiserations. Jolly bad show old boy, what with your utter integrity and all
Den.
I suggest you get the shops to stock a few more Den.
Come time for the new issues, there are always copies of WK? left at all the local (within 20 mles) places that sell the mags, but never any Kit Car.
So I reckon if Mr WH Smith were to stock another 1 or 2 in each shop, they'd sell more, you'd sell more, more people would read your mag, you'd be back up the chart and you'd make loads more money.
Why am I bothered? It's you that makes the money from it. Or is it 2 years free subscription to the best idea of how to get you more sales?
Come time for the new issues, there are always copies of WK? left at all the local (within 20 mles) places that sell the mags, but never any Kit Car.
So I reckon if Mr WH Smith were to stock another 1 or 2 in each shop, they'd sell more, you'd sell more, more people would read your mag, you'd be back up the chart and you'd make loads more money.
Why am I bothered? It's you that makes the money from it. Or is it 2 years free subscription to the best idea of how to get you more sales?
Success!
Finally managed to get hold of a copy of KC at my local WH Smiths this morning....
First impressions very good, lots of interesting articles, plenty of secondhand cars for sale in the classifieds, just need to drop all the attacks on Fibs now Den, even I think they are getting rather tired
Good to see a feature on Donnington, without any back biting, is this the start of a new era???
Finally managed to get hold of a copy of KC at my local WH Smiths this morning....
First impressions very good, lots of interesting articles, plenty of secondhand cars for sale in the classifieds, just need to drop all the attacks on Fibs now Den, even I think they are getting rather tired
Good to see a feature on Donnington, without any back biting, is this the start of a new era???
Ex-Biker said:
I suggest you get the shops to stock a few more Den.
Come time for the new issues, there are always copies of WK? left at all the local (within 20 mles) places that sell the mags, but never any Kit Car.
Agreed..... It's not just WHS either..... I have found two places locally that stock both mags (where I don't have to go into the city centre and remortgage my house to park for 10 minutes!)
Both of them seem to stock more copies of WK than they do of KC.... yet they sell out out KC, and WK is still on the shelf come new edition time.
Admittedly WK may sell a few more than KC in these outlets, but I'm sure that if more copies were available, more would shift.... I mean, how many first time browsers are buying one mag because the other isn't there for a comparison?
Who is responsible for stock numbers in outlets Den? The wholesalers or is it down to your sales staff?
Ex-Biker said:
I suggest you get the shops to stock a few more Den.
This is a difficult balancing act which is best left to the distributor.
The hard bit is to get ‘availability’. That’s usually a head office decision. WH Smiths have ‘banded’ shops, the largest being ‘band 1’ and smallest being ‘band 5’. Head office, using the ‘ranking figures’ dictate what magazines MUST be in each shop depending on its ‘banding’. For example band 5 shops MIGHT be told to keep the top 200 magazines, whilst a band 1 shop Might be told to keep the top 1200. Please get the principle and not the exact numbers.
At a local level, the shop manager may stock additional titles according to his local demand (and according to his feelings). That’s why it’s worth asking branch managers who haven’t got Kit Car on their shelves.
Once he’s made up his mind to have it, the precise number delivered can be varied (by the distributor) within reason. Theory being that a magazine takes a ‘slot’ whether stacked as 5, 10 or 15. The danger in giving too many is that if too many go back the shop manager gets in trouble for being inefficient.
The shop computer lists ‘sell outs’. The more of these, then the more efficient is the shop. So we want plentiful availability, whilst the shop wants exactly what’s going to sell. Since we don’t want to print magazines for pulping, we also want what the shop manager wants whilst we also want the chance to expand sales too. As I said it’s a difficult balancing act. An extra 2 in each shop would increase our print run from 25,000 to 33,000 (expensive £££££).
Our distributor, Comag, is one of the premier league respect to this balancing act. We aim for a 60% sales efficiency overall, which we regularly achieve. That means we print about 25,000 of which 23,000 go to shops, of which 13,000 are sold.
What I’ve noticed in respect to Which Kit? is that fewer shops are stocking it (having dropped 53 places in the hit parade, that situation will get worse). So, to keep Fib’s happy, its distributor is putting more copies onto less shelves to maintain the print order. The efficiency goes out the window. My guess is that Fib’s is printing 15,000 to sell less than 7,000. A situation that will p155 him AND shops off.
My point! When Kit Car comes to a shop manager’s attention, it’s to say that demand exceeds supply. When Which Kit? comes to a shop manager’s attention, it’s to say that supply exceeds demand.
Who’s in the best position? I’m happy
Den
Wacky Racer said:
First impressions very good, lots of interesting articles, plenty of secondhand cars for sale in the classifieds. . . .
Thanks Wacky
Wacky Racer said:
. . . just need to drop all the attacks on Fibs now Den, even I think they are getting rather tired
Good to see a feature on Donnington, without any back biting, is this the start of a new era???
Yep! Sorry for the past, folks
. This November issue has used up the last of the Pinocchio Fibly stuff
. It would have been brilliant if I’d just published it once (or maybe twice) but 4 issues on the trot is
. From here it’s back to hard graft, to make Kit Car clearly best for all the right reasons.
As I’ve said in previous posts, I’ve made my point(s)
. I’m winning the battle and it’s now time to bring back the fun . Den
So what happens to all the unsold magazines? Are they are brought back to you and then sold as back issues or are they pulped? 
John
www.madabout-kitcars.com
John
www.madabout-kitcars.com
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