Anger over Smiths News' spiked charges

Members of the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) have expressed disappointment over news that wholesaler Smiths News has advised that its carriage charge template is to rise by nearly 2 per cent from Sept 7.

Customers were receiving letters advising of their new charge today (18). Increased wage and fuel bills were blamed for the rise.

The Fed's National President Mo Razzaq said, "At a time when so many independent retailers are struggling financially, it is disappointing to hear that Smiths News is yet to explore an alternative to carriage charges and is, in fact, about to put up its carriage charge template yet again.

"That said, the wholesaler does deserve some credit for keeping this to a minimum."

As a result of the 1.89 per cent rise, the average increase is just over £1 for Fed members. However, nearly 900 will see a reduction in their charge.

Razzaq added: "In its letter, Smiths News says it is committed to investing in key areas of the business that will improve service standards for its customers. I do hope that is the case, as for too many of our members, the service levels they are receiving are far from satisfactory."

The Fed will now be challenging the news wholesaler's senior management to spend time in a local Fed member's store to see first-hand the level of service they receive.