Media company Gannett reportedly eyeing parcel delivery business

Publishing giant Gannett, whose publications include USA Today, is exploring the possibility of using its trucks to deliver more than newspaper, according to reports in the US media. An article published in The Wall Street Journal,  derived from conversations with “people familiar with the matter”, said that Gannett has consulted with parcel-industry experts and held “preliminary talks” with Amazon about having paper carriers also deliver packages.

This is a business model that has been used successfully by a number of companies, particularly in Europe. In the US, however, this diversification would come at a cost. As the WSJ pointed out: “Newspaper deliverers receive federal tax breaks that go away when they start delivering packages.”