Toulouse. Newsagents: the network stable despite the crisis
The 300 newsagents in Haute-Garonne have overcome the health crisis.
The press distribution network experienced an earthquake in 2020 with the disappearance of Presstalis, one of the main press distributors at national level. Resilient, the network has been restructured and tightened around dynamic custodians. Today, the network of 300 newsagents in Haute-Garonne is doing “rather well”, according to Daniel Panetto. The president of Culture Presse, the main professional organization of the sector, was present yesterday in Toulouse, on the occasion of an “open house” day at the main wholesaler of the Toulouse press, the depositary “Press 2 Go”, based on the Thibaud area in Toulouse. It is he who supplies the department’s points of sale with newspapers and magazines, on time.
Daniel Panetto recalls that the points of sale, considered an essential activity, remained open during the health crisis. Cut off from a large part of their business, they received a figure from the solidarity fund and sectoral aid. “The transformation of points of sale has been sustained, and activity is up slightly in 2021 (+ 0.5%) compared to 2019”.
In Toulouse and Haute-Garonne, the network has experienced closures, but also openings, according to Thibault Hardy, the boss of “Press 2 Go”. Every evening, between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., nearly 40 rounds leave the “Press 2 Go” warehouse to serve some 300 points of sale in Haute-Garonne, and points of sale in Tarn.