By Ian Williams
Peterborough couple Chris and Cathryn Woodman have reinvented the traditional newsagency to compete with online marketing – and their innovative approach is winning national recognition.
The Woodmans bought the mid-north Peterborough Newsagency in 2005 after running the town’s caravan park for 18 years and they’ve been using their tourism experience to maximum advantage.
“Because of the internet you just can’t rely on magazines and stationery any more so we knew we had to come up with some other options,” says Chris. “We’ve seen so many newsagencies close because they failed to diversify.”
Their solution was to purchase a disused and rundown building next door in 2010 and transform it into a mini museum for tourists.
The Burg – museum and home of Murdoch the Bear
They’ve named it The Burg after the town’s historic slang name and offer free entry for visitors who can only access it by walking through the newsagency.
This and other initiatives to generate extra business earned Chris and Cathryn an Australian Newsagents Federation state award for the best South Australian newsagency in 2012 and 2015.
Now they’ve won the top prize in the national awards for excellence after being runner-up three years ago.
National award winners – Cathy and Chris Woodman with staff members Denise Dodd and Dawn Lindner
An electronic counter shows about 8,000 people a year visit The Burg and, most importantly, the majority of visitors end up buying something from the store.
“The tourists are the cream for us and we estimate tourism to the town has increased by about 10 per cent on what it used to be,” he says.
Chris has a good grasp of local history after running tours around the town when he was at the caravan park and he’s used that knowledge to help design the museum.
“We commissioned Des Parker, who used to paint backdrops for stage productions in Adelaide, to paint a 19-metre mural which depicts the history of the town,” says Chris.
“I said I just wanted something simple but it took him 12 months and it’s turned out really well.”
Peterborough Newsagency and The Burg – showcasing Peterborough’s history
Major changes have also been made by Chris and Cathryn to the actual newsagency.
In addition to the usual newspapers, magazines and stationery, they’ve stocked the store with various other products, including toys, craft goods, and electronic and computer components.
“Newsagencies traditionally have a female-dominated customer base so we’ve become an agent for Jaycar Electronics to attract more males,” says Chris.
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Regional Awards Partners
