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AU ANZSIC G4244 | Industry Report

Newsagents and Book Retailers in Australia Industry Data and Analysis

CB
Claudia Burgio-Ficca
Analyst Melbourne, Australia March 2025

Newsagents and book retailers have been facing harsh trading conditions. Declining sales of printed publications and competition from supermarkets, department stores and international online retailers have reduced industry demand. Trends in household discretionary income, consumer sentiment and online shopping's popularity have made it difficult for retailers to yield significant revenue, leading to an expected decline of 7.3% annualised over the five years through 2024-25, to $2.6 billion. This trend includes an anticipated drop of 3.0% in the current year, with demand from online shopping and cost-of-living pressures making consumers less willing to spend money.

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What's included in this industry analysis

IBISWorld's research coverage on the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia includes market sizing, forecasting, data and analysis from 2015-2030. The most recent publication was released March 2025.

About this industry

What's this industry report about?

The Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia operates under the ANZSIC industry code G4244. Newsagents and book retailers primarily sell newspapers, books and magazines. Products are purchased from upstream publishers and wholesalers before being sold to downstream end-consumer markets. Retailers can operate as independent businesses, as part of a retail chain of stores or under a franchised model. Related terms covered in the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia include ereader, ebook and etailers.

What's included in this industry?

Products and services covered in Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia include Books, Lottery and Magazines.

What companies are included in this industry?

Companies covered in the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia include Newspower Australia, Nextra Group and QBD Books.

Performance

What's included in the Performance chapter?

The Performance chapter covers detailed analysis, datasets, detailed current performance, sources of volatility and an outlook with forecasts for the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia.

Questions answered in this chapter include what's driving current industry performance, what influences industry volatility, how do successful businesses overcome volatility, what's driving the industry outlook. This analysis is supported with data and statistics on industry revenues, costs, profits, businesses and employees.

Products & Markets

What's included in the Products and Markets chapter?

The Products and Markets chapter covers detailed products and service segmentation and analysis of major markets for the for the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia.

Questions answered in this chapter include how are the industry's products and services performing, what are innovations in industry products and services, what products or services do successful businesses offer and what's influencing demand from the industry's markets. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by product and service segmentation and major markets.

Geographic Breakdown

What's included in the Geographic Breakdown chapter?

The Geographic Breakdown chapter covers detailed analysis and datasets on regional performance of the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia.

Questions answered in this chapter include where are industry businesses located and how do businesses use location to their advantage. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by location.

Competitive Forces

What's included in the Competitive Forces chapter?

The Competitive Forces chapter covers the concentration, barriers to entry and supplier and buyer profiles in the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia. This includes data and statistics on industry market share concentration, barriers to entry, substitute products and buyer & supplier power.

Questions answered in this chapter include what impacts the industry's market share concentration, how do successful businesses handle concentration, what challenges do potential industry entrants face, how can potential entrants overcome barriers to entry, what are substitutes for industry services, how do successful businesses compete with substitutes and what power do buyers and suppliers have over the industry and how do successful businesses manage buyer & supplier power.

Companies

What's included in the Companies chapter?

The Companies chapter covers Key Takeaways, Market Share and Companies in the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia. This includes data and analysis on companies operating in the industry that hold a market share greater than 5%.

Questions answered in this chapter include what companies have a meaningful market share and how each company is performing.

External Environment

What's included in the External Environment chapter?

The External Environment chapter covers Key Takeaways, External Drivers, Regulation & Policy and Assistance in the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia. This includes data and statistics on factors impacting industry revenue such as economic indicators, regulation, policy and assistance programs.

Questions answered in this chapter include what demographic and macroeconomic factors impact the industry, what regulations impact the industry, what assistance is available to this industry.

Financial Benchmarks

What's included in the Financial Benchmarks chapter?

The Financial Benchmarks chapter covers Key Takeaways, Cost Structure, Financial Ratios, Valuation Multiples and Key Ratios in the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia. This includes financial data and statistics on industry performance including key cost inputs, profitability, key financial ratios and enterprise value multiples.

Questions answered in this chapter include what trends impact industry costs and how financial ratios have changed overtime.

Industry Data

What's included in the Industry Data chapter?

The Industry Data chapter includes 10 years of historical data with 5 years of forecast data covering statistics like revenue, industry value add, establishments, enterprises, employment and wages in the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the market size of the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia in 2026?

The market size of the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia is $2.6bn in 2026.

How many businesses are there in the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia in 2025?

There are 3,034 businesses in the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia, which has declined at a CAGR of 3.7 % between 2020 and 2025.

How may import tariffs affect the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia?

The Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.

How may export tariffs affect the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia?

The Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.

Has the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia grown or declined over the past 5 years?

The market size of the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia has been declining at a CAGR of 7.3 % between 2020 and 2025.

What is the forecast growth of the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia over the next 5 years?

Over the next five years, the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia is expected to decline.

What are the biggest companies in the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia?

The biggest companies operating in the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia are Newspower Australia, Nextra Group and QBD Books

What does the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia include?

Book retailing and Newspaper retailing are part of the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia.

Which companies have the highest market share in the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia?

The company holding the most market share in the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia is Newspower Australia.

How competitive is the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia?

The level of competition is high and increasing in the Newsagents and Book Retailers industry in Australia.

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