Dear Partner,
As summer approaches, it is a good time to review how the first part of the year has gone in terms of sales: newspapers and magazines have sold at consumer prices exactly as they did last year during the first four months, both in terms of revenue and units sold. However, there has been a decline in sales for certain books and collectible items. Overall, single-issue sales have been quite satisfactory.
Regarding our sustainability efforts, Lehtipiste has now completed its sustainability reporting for the fifth time as part of our parent company Tradeka’s report. A significant achievement is the reduction of our carbon footprint by 4.3% last year relative to our revenue. You can read our detailed report (in Finnish) here: https://www.tradeka.fi/ajankohtaista/osuuskunnan-tiedotteet/tradekan-vuosi-ja-vastuullisuusraportti-2023-julkaistu.
Sustainability is currently a major focus in many ways. Stricter EU regulations will come into effect for the largest retail chains on January 1, 2026. In preparation, we have sought written commitments from all our partners, both in terms of products and logistics, through either our sustainability appendix or sustainability commitment. The major retail chains are required to commit to the entire supply chain (scope 3).
The EU-wide Deforestation Regulation came into effect on June 29, 2023, with a transition period ending on December 30, 2024, unless extension proposals are approved by the EU Parliament. Practically, this means that manufacturers of wood-based products (including paper and cardboard) will need to register their products through the EU’s Traces system. Registration requires, among other things, geolocation data of wood-based products. The information from the Traces system will then be forwarded to us at Lehtipiste, and we will pass it on to retailers through the Synkka system. Currently, there are still many open questions regarding the entire deforestation directive, so we will communicate more details to our partners as they become available. We plan to organize a webinar in the fall to assist our partners with this matter.
The VAT changes announced by the government in the spring, which affect books and collectible items in our product categories, have caused a lot of work and consideration in recent months. The uncertainty regarding the timing of these changes has significantly complicated our planning, especially for products with a longer sales period.
There are many things on the table and in planning, and it seems the world will not be ready by summer this year either. I wish you a commercially successful summer and a sunny season!
Ville Melkko
Commercial Director
Lehtipiste Oy
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