Newspower Go Traralgon - Keeps powering on

Words and Photos by Anita Butterworth

It’s a rare newsagency that manages to successfully combine the traditional role of supplying the community with printed news while becoming a hub for breadmaking supplies and confectionary. But NewspowerGO Traralgon has managed to strike a clever balance of the classic and contemporary.

At the helm of the Traralgon institution is Darren Howe, who admits he never intended to own the business for as long as he has. “I wasn’t planning to be here for 26 years, I was planning on being here for 10 years but sometimes getting into a business is easier than getting out of a business,” Darren laughs.

Having worked at McDonalds straight out of school, and eventually progressing to shift manager, Darren got his first taste of running a business. His other roles during his early career with the State Electricity Commission and Bendigo Bank also put him in good stead to take on the challenges of owning a newsagency.

“It’s a real balance between work, family and personal time. During the early years you are having to work a lot of hours to get the business off the ground, and then you need to try and fit in everything and balance family’s needs, you want to spend time with them.” But as Darren explains, just purchasing a newsagency was a hill to climb back in the 1990s. “It was a premium business and a much sort after business, there was a Newsagency Council that approved the sale of every newsagent. The person selling the newsagency didn’t have choice who they were going to sell it to, they just put it on the market. The purchaser needed to meet criteria set down by the Newsagency Council, the prospective buyers were interviewed by the Newsagency Council, which comprised of representatives from the magazine companies, the newspaper companies, VANA and other industry partners. They chose the person who they thought was going to keep the newsagency channel as strong and vibrant as possible.”

Darren and his family were given the seal of approval, and in 1996 took over the Seymour Street Newsagency in its former, location in Franklin Street, Traralgon. Business was strong, initially distributing papers to half of the local Traralgon community. Then, about 20 years ago, the family made the decision to buy the distribution for the entire town of Traralgon and surrounds and to manage the additional business moved into a larger premises in Seymour Street.

“We had the territory for all the home deliveries of newspapers and magazines. We also supplied other resellers such as Supermarkets, Service Stations and Convenience Stores and were committed to doing the right thing by the community and deliver the best service we could.”

Darren Howe

But as time, and technology has ticked on, the thirst for news in print form has waned.

“Younger people are not reading as many newspapers or as much printed media as the older generations. Our client base is getting older. We are now delivering less than we were when we bought the business but to a much larger geographical area. So, then you’ve got the challenge of less deliveries per street, but many more streets you’ve got to deliver to.”

Like so many other businesses, the newsagency needed to diversify. So, after much research and consideration Darren decided to introduce something both sweet and savoury. Approximately 12 years ago the family purchased the Traralgon Chocolate Shop, combining it with the newsagency and when the business moved to its current premises on Seymour Street, the sweet and savoury treats moved with it.

“When we bought the chocolate shop, then a standalone business just down the road, we moved it into our existing shop, creating a store within a store concept. The Chocolate Shop was selling breadmaking supplies, and we thought it’s not really something you traditionally associate with a newsagency, and it was not as easy to tie in as chocolates and lollies.

“We had people come in and ask if we were going to keep the breadmaking supplies, so we thought we’d put it in a quiet corner where you wouldn’t normally turn over a lot, and it just took off. And then Covid-19 came a long and more people started baking their own bread. We now have that loyal breadmaking fraternity that come and buy from us.” In fact, it’s proved so successful that the newsagency plans to run breadmaking classes, which have been in the planning stages throughout the lockdowns. As well as running a successful business, Darren has been a Latrobe City Councillor since 2016 and up to a few weeks ago was the Deputy Mayor.

“People are passionate about their own town, their own interest groups and such. It’s a real balancing act to prioritise projects and funds fairly across our municipality. We do what we can to help, I work with some fantastic people. We have an Economic Development Team, Health and Well Being as well as Planning. If we can’t help, we can certainly point you in the right direction.

It was a chance conversation at a barbecue that piqued Darren’s interest in becoming a Latrobe City Councillor, even though he’d been heavily involved in other community leadership roles.

“I was never really interested in being a councillor. My father was a councillor when it was the Traralgon Council, and he was also Mayor. I was involved with Apex. I moved through the club ranks, became secretary, treasurer, vice president and president and they were looking for a state president one year, so I did that.

“Once I’d finished at Apex, I got more involved in the Traralgon Chamber of Commerce and that’s when you realise, business owners have great ideas but are time poor due to the commitment that their business requires. We have just launched the Latrobe City Business Chamber, which will have a part time administration/development Officer. Hopefully, they will help build membership and take these great ideas and make them a realty.”

Darren admits his political aspirations initially lay beyond local government, and in 2018 he sought National’s preselection for the seat of Morwell. “State politics is what I was interested in, and I thought I could make a big difference at the state level.”

And while Darren continues to find joy in representing his community at a local level, he hasn’t ruled out having another tilt at state politics on day.

“I just really enjoy it, I love it. It takes up a lot of time, I’m out probably three or four nights a week. Most Sundays you’re tied up doing emails and reading reports, so you generally spend five or six hours on a weekend. But I’m really enjoying it, and that’s what put me back into thinking about having another tilt at preselection for the National Party for next year’s State Election.”