Daily Maverick 168 – a new weekly newspaper – officially launched on Saturday (26/09/2020) in 125 Pick n Pay stores. Over 26,000 copies will be available for sale at R20, or free to readers who swipe their Pick n Pay Smart Shopper card.

Described as a bold move by many as print titles see a decline in readership, Daily Maverick – known for their online news and investigative journalism – says they believe there is a gap for a quality weekly with a focus on long-form journalism covering a breadth of topics.

While online media platforms have seen a dramatic increase in readers, there is also a backlash movement happening against the screen, says Daily Maverick CEO, Styli Charalambous. “Many readers feel overwhelmed by the amount of digital content available and the hijacking of our attention by apps on our phones.”

“The success of the pilot earlier this month demonstrated that our readers still want a tangible news product with which they can rekindle weekend reading rituals”, says Charalambous. Daily Maverick 168 was piloted across 20 Pick n Pay stores in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Of 8,800 copies delivered to stores, over 70% were taken up, with 96% of readers swiping their Smart Shopper cards to access their free copy.

The new weekly newspaper will include curated online news articles but also new, exclusive print content. The newspaper will offer readers a blend of watchdog-type investigations, but also balanced with business and lifestyle content, and inspiring stories from the Maverick Citizen team.

John Bradshaw, retail executive: marketing at Pick n Pay, says feedback from customers following the pilot was overwhelmingly positive. “We had as many as 1 in 8 customers collecting the newspaper in some pilot stores, which is extraordinary. We are excited to roll this out to 125 stores this weekend. We identified stores based on where customers like to buy their weekend papers through an online poll. Readers voted for their favourite stores to make sure we didn’t miss any stores where there is clear demand.”

“Through this collaborative partnership with our Smart Shopper programme, we are able to offer our customers a product they want – for free – and in turn, help Daily Maverick expand their reach to a potentially new audience though our seven million Smart Shoppers,” concludes Bradshaw.

List of participating Pick n Pay stores: https://www.pnp.co.za/smart-shopper/daily-maverick