• New York Post, Friday, January 16, 2009 9:15 AM

Magazine publishers have gotten slapped with word that a major distribution company is about to jack up the rates it charges to deliver issues to retailers. Starting Feb. 1, Anderson News will impose a 7-cent charge for each copy of a magazine that it delivers to stores.

Magazines have a sell-through rate of around 38% and the surcharge would apply to both sold and unsold copies. American Media, which is on the brink of bankruptcy, could be hit with a bill of up to $12 million. People, which has one of the best sell-through rates in the business, could be hit with up to $15 million in extra charges.

Anderson delivers magazines to retailers including Wal-Mart, Walgreen and CVS. It is believed to handle about 25% of the magazine retail traffic in North America.

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