NewsXpress director Mark Fletcher has launched an online site under the name the Newsagency Portal, described as "a place where newsagents and suppliers can connect, advertise, do deals and promote their businesses to the wider community."
"More than two years in the making and delivering a genuine first for the newsagency channel, the Newsagency Portal is unique in the Australian newsagency channel," Fletcher said.
Access to the portal is free and suppliers can list their services and advertise products for sale.
Product purchases made through the portal are prepaid and NXP Pty Ltd, a partnership between Fletcher and Graham Randall, takes a 10 per cent fee on all purchases.
Once an order is placed and paid for, the supplier is notified and the goods shipped.
"I anticipate that newsagent suppliers will use the portal to release excess stock and to promote everyday stock at competitive prices. The portal is a marketplace which could be more efficient for suppliers than reps on the road which add to the prices newsagents pay for goods," Fletcher claimed.