News just in from MagNet, the US-based clearinghouse... The good news, according to MagNet, U.S. retailers sold 2.3 million dollars of magazines per day in the Q1 of 2011, totalling $987 million dollars in sales. The sobering news is that revenue is down 5.6%. MagNet speculates that higher gasoline prices in the U.S., along with an unstable economy overall, may be contributing to fewer trips to the stores and a reluctance to part with “disposable income.”



Nearly every major class of trade experienced softness, with the exception of Club Stores +14.1% and Home & Garden +32.4%, and a smattering of specialty categories. Supermarkets continue to generate the most newsstand dollars.



MagNet points out that 1,200 titles that were published a year ago were not published in Q1 this year. However, 1,300 new titles were distributed in Q1 this year.