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Judy Evans, of Williams of Audlem in Cheshire, told TalkingRetail.com: “On Sunday 3 December, Smiths News repeatedly reported a 45-minute delay on our delivery run, from 6am.
“However, at 8.30am they eventually informed us we would not be getting any of our Sunday newspapers, as there was nobody available to come out (15 miles) from the depot to us.
“Although it had snowed earlier that day, it was not to the extent that any roads had become blocked between ourselves and the depot, in Stoke-on-Trent.
“This is a very concerning development. Never in my 60-year recollection has Smiths News failed to make a newspaper delivery to our shop!
“Yes, it’s completely understandable, and not too uncommon, that they could be late (or even very late) in bad weather etc, but they had never before in our long history of trading with them failed completely to turn up with the goods. And they have certainly delivered in a lot worse conditions.
“As three-quarters of my Sunday customers are newspaper subscribers, and also regular, loyal, mostly OAP customers, I did not want to let them down.
“Instead I gave up my time – and money to pay additional staff – to ensure that I provided the best possible service, by going to the depot to collect them myself.
“When I arrived at the depot, it was clear that a shortage of drivers was the actual cause of our non-delivery. The depot staff admitted they had nobody willing or available to take the run out to us, even after other drivers had returned to the depot some time ago.
“This appears to be solely the result of Smiths News’s adopted business model, whereby they generally employ contract drivers to distribute the newspapers and magazines.
“It would appear that most, if not all these contract drivers have second jobs to go to after their early morning distribution run.
“Therefore, there appears to be little, if any, slack in the Smiths News system if things go wrong, and/or drivers fail to turn up.
“Clearly, it is also unlikely that besides possibly not actually having the time for an additional run, contract drivers will also not necessarily have the same level of commitment to the job that might have been expected of a Smith News employee of the past.
“On this basis, I can only assume that another repeat of last Sunday is at some point inevitable.
“The added costs for my troubles I have estimated to be around £180, including petrol and additional staff costs, so why do I have the feeling that I will be lucky to even get my delivery charge of £9.89 refunded for that day? It’s snow joke!”
Smiths News told TalkingRetail.com: “On 3 December 2023, adverse weather conditions significantly affected our delivery operations, resulting in service disruption to a portion of our routes.
“Specifically, out of our 13 rounds, five rounds, and 11 stores, out of a total 480 customers, experienced delivery delays due to the weather-related challenges.
“While our contractor availability was not an issue, the safety risks and practical challenges posed by the adverse weather conditions hindered our ability to conduct deliveries as planned.
“We understand the importance of maintaining consistent service, but the safety of our drivers and the ability to navigate safely in adverse weather is also paramount in our commitment to reliable service.”
The Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) said it was not aware of any specific issues at Smiths’ Stoke-on-Trent depot.
But it added: “We are aware of issues with driver shortages and there are problems with Saturday deliveries – much of the latter is due to the extra paginations and copies.”
The Fed’s news and operations director, Brian Murphy, said: “The Federation takes driver shortages seriously and challenges news wholesalers on this daily.
“Recently, we wrote to both Smiths News and Menzies Distribution, seeking assurances from senior management that enough was being done to prevent this and that, where there are service failings, robust contingency plans are in place to resolve them.
“It is also important that retailers receive precise, and timely communication when their papers are going to be late.”
