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The news wholesaler’s customers pay a minimum of £36.22 for a weekly supply of newspapers and magazines under the present carriage charge structure. The maximum charge is £61.45.
It is only the second time that the news wholesaler has taken such action. In 2015, Smiths News gave its retail customers the option of freezing their carriage charges for two years.
Jon Bunting, chief executive of Smiths News, said: “We are incredibly mindful of the efforts our customers have gone to during the pandemic to ensure newspapers and magazines were available for their customers. Many are still under considerable pressure with lockdown.”
He added: “We are hopeful that the NFRN and all our customers will see this as a positive move that provides some support to newspaper and magazine retailing after such a difficult period.”
NFRN national president, Stuart Reddish, said: “We are delighted that Smiths News is displaying such strong support for its retail customers during times of such hardship.”
The trade body will also be calling on Menzies Distribution to follow suit.
Earlier this year, News UK DTR (Direct to Retail) advised that it was deferring its review of carriage charges until March.
