| Sumario: | The article focuses on the role of supermarkets in the book trade. Sensitivities revolve, in particular, around the huge discounts demanded of publishers by some supermarkets and the introduction of higher merchandising charges, with a rate card value alleged to be up to four times bigger than that requested by the previous most demanding customer on the high street, W H Smith. The deal between merchandiser Handleman Co. would enable publisher Asda to improve its performance in books over Christmas by ensuring compliance across all its stores with agreed promotions and by maintaining high standards of display. In addition, Asda is believed to have introduced a range of merchandising payments for its Five Star Launch, with the highest said to be between £ 25,000 and £ 40,000 at rate card value. Non-fiction, which sells smaller quantities through supermarkets, had an average selling price of £ 5.08 in supermarkets, compared to £ 9.58 in the total consumer market. INSETS: Supermarkets: big business;No room for the slow burn;The playing fields.
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