• March 3, 2003

According to research from Comag Marketing Group, magazines outperformed all but one category at the supermarket front-end. The study, “Supermarket Checkout Puzzle,” also found that magazines used space more efficiently, bringing in higher profit than other categories at the checkout counter. The report was released Monday at The Retail Conference, hosted by the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) and the International Periodicals Distributors Association in Washington, DC. In separate study conducted for the MPA by Management Science Associates, revealed that magazine purchasers drove more than half of total dollars and unit sales in the grocery channel, compared to non-magazine purchasers. In addition, magazine purchasers bought more items—especially high margin products—across all departments. With the introduction of new products and expansion of other categories, the front-end has become overcrowded, according to “Front-End Focus 2002,” a research study sponsored by Masterfoods USA, TDS and Wrigley. This study revealed that the rapid proliferation of different merchandise at the front-end, many of which are not proving to be as profitable as magazines.