Regional Magazine distribution - Menzies? EDI? is the hassle worth it?

[hg6591]

We publish a fairly new regional quarterly magazine which we sell quite successfully through local newsagents and shops(the distribution to which we do ourselves) but now would like to go out to more shops, importantly we have had interest from TESCO and also a large local holiday complex but it would seem that we can only set up a supply to them through Menzies or set up an EDI system. Menzies are far from helpful as they expect us to work out which shops will take it, how many they will take and muc more besides. But then it seems to me that an EDI is going to cost us more than we would make on the sales. As our magazine is only quarterly and also is restricted to our region it does have a limited market - national distribution is definitely not suitable. Any advice or suggestions would be welcome please!

 

[Parcelhub]

Our sister company Mail Workshop provides a range of Magazine Fulfilment and Distribution services. Your best bet would be speaking with James over there to figure out which outsourcing option is best suited to your needs.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

What do you mean by EDI? If 'electronic data interchange' i.e. is an order processing /management/invoicing solution and does not mean physical distribution. It can also be set up via an intermediate for a low cost - hundreds on pounds a year?

 

[JohnDavies145]

I feel your pain with Menzies—dealing with big distributors can be a proper nightmare. If you’re only quarterly and regional, the "big distributor" route can definitely eat into your margins quickly, but getting into Tesco is a massive win for brand visibility, so I can see why you’re tempted.

Regarding the EDI side of things, it’s worth looking at TrueCommerce. I’ve seen them handle this kind of setup quite well; they’re generally much more approachable than the big legacy systems and make the whole process feel a lot more manageable for smaller publishers who aren't tech experts. If you can get the EDI side streamlined and affordable through them, it might just make the Tesco deal worth the hassle.