Newssstand sales continue decline; Canadian single copy dollars down 13.2% in first half

Single copy magazine sales in Canada and the U.S. in the first half of 2015 continue their long-term decline, according to data compiled by MagNet, which tracks both wholesaler and retail sales. and reported by MediaPost, 

While MagNet cautions that some of the figures have had to be estimated, due to the closure of U.S.-based distributor Source Interlink last year and lack of results from the Barnes & Noble bookstore chain. Nevertheless, the trend is clear. Preliminary data for July and August suggests that sales in the second half of the year may be even worse than in the first half. For the full year, MagNet forecasts total newsstand sales of around $2.5 billion, around half of the figure for 2007.
Comparing first 6 months of 2015 with same period in 2014:

• U.S. total volume of magazines shipped were down 2.6% to 784 million
• U.S. volume of issues declined 18.5% to 207.5 million
• U.S. dollar volume of sales fell 13.9% to $1.11 billion
• Canadian total distribution down 16.3% to 97.7 million
• Canadian issues sold down 16.8% to 29.3 million
• Canadian dollar value of sales down 13.2% to $178.7 million

In terms of specific categories, some of the biggest drops in newsstand sales volumes were seen in crafts, down 33.1% to 2.7 million issues sold; automotive, down 26.8% to 5.7 million; sports, down 23% to 4.7 million; entertainment, down 21.6% to 6.9 million; women’s, down 20.6% to 51.9 million; and celebrity, down 18.9% to 62 million...

On that note MagNet pointed to certain self-reinforcing negative dynamics in the marketplace, most notably many retailers’ decision to cut back on the amount of space and prominence they allocate to newsstand displays.