The Sun and Times publisher News UK has been slammed by independent retailers for trying to push through cover price increases accompanied by margin cuts under the radar. Hetal Patel: “Many independent retailers will be unable to survive in business, if News UK and other publishers continue to accompany cover price rises with cuts to our terms.” Photograph: Supplied by the Fed. Just hours ahead of letters going out from the publisher, the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) learned that the price of UK weekday editions of the Times will increase to £3.20 from July 14. The margin on all editions will drop 1 per cent to 20 per cent. Mr Patel said: “We will be discussing these margin cuts with our members and we will take any action that is needed to reverse this ill-thought-out decision while there is still time.
