An increase in violent crime against newsagents and ways of tackling it will be under the spotlight as the National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NFRN) holds its annual conference at Torquay’s Riviera International Conference Centre next week.

More than 200 delegates are expected to attend the conference which takes place on Monday June 2 and Tuesday June 3. These represent the 250 branches which make up the 16 districts from throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland.

One of the key motions due to be discussed is the increase in violent acts against members and what can be done to prevent these from occurring.

Other issues due to be discussed will be proposed legislation related to cigarette display, calls for an increase in payment for newspaper weekend supplements which newsagents have to insert, and maintaining copy profit margin when magazines are placed on reduced price promotion.

The conference has the theme of Progress Together and has several experts lined up to speak, including Deirdre Healey, head of corporate affairs at Imperial Tobacco, who will be speaking on the future legislative challenges for tobacco retailers, Ellis Watson, managing director of news wholesaler Menzies Distribution who will be looking at the news supply chain’s carbon footprint and Sharon Douglas, circulation and marketing director of National Magazines, whose presentation will focus on how magazine publishers can work with independent newsagents to claw back market share from supermarkets. Also speaking, on the second day of conference, will be MP Nick Hurd, who will be discussing the Sustainable Communities Act.

National President, Colin Finch, explained: “Annual conference is the most important NFRN event of the year. We work in an industry that becomes ever more challenging and less predictable each year.

Smoking and alcohol laws under discussion in Torquay, “For that reason, this year’s event is entitled ‘Progress Together’. Only by working together can we rise to and indeed overcome the many challenges facing us.”

This year there will be a larger than usual trade exhibition taking place alongside the conference in RICC’s Rosetor Room which delegates can attend before each day’s conference session and in coffee and lunch breaks. An invitation has also been extended to non-conference delegates from the surrounding area.