I'm always being told that more and more newsagents are closing across Britain. But, if this is the case, few closures are recorded, so obtaining evidence is difficult. I'm therefore pleased that the Reading Evening Post has written about the proposal to shut what it calls the only newsagent in central Caversham after almost 40 years in business. Not pleased about the closure, of course, but pleased that it is receiving some publicity. The paper went to some lengths to discover the reasons for the decision to shut Martin's in Church Street, Caversham from October 14. According to the five employees, who will lose their jobs, a rent rise may be to blame. One also said that her boss had told her the shop was not making enough profit.
But the Evening Post wanted to know if that was the case and, to that end, tried to contact the Essex-based company that runs the newsagent, Martin McColl, without success. According to its website Martin McColl is Britain's largest newsagents' chain with over 900 stores (plus 300 convenience stores and 100 other shops). It is acquisitive, saying that it is interested in buying stores of at least 500 square feet, but also states that it does dispose of businesses "from time to time." I'd guess, as the staff believe, that falling profit lies behind the closure. Perhaps Martin McColl will enlighten us at some stage.
It hardly warms the cockles of one's heart to know that shoppers seeking papers in central Caversham will be able to obtain them from Tesco Express and a Marks & Spencer Simply Food outlet. It is no coincidence that the decline in the numbers of newsagent shops runs in parallel with the decline in newspaper sales. Anyway, if anyone hears of any coming closures, let me know at roy.greenslade@theguardian.com and I'll highlight them. There is nothing to be done, I suspect, but I want to test out whether there is a correlation between falling circulation and closures.
