ISSA was launched on 1 October 1996 in response to a recommendation from the Department of Trade and Industry following the 1993 MMC inquiry into newspaper distribution.
Designed jointly by retailers, wholesalers and publishers, it provides the minimum standard of service on terms and conditions of service, delivery, order and supply management, unsold management, invoicing, voucher processing and customer service enabling wholesaler service to be monitored.
The complaints procedure is designed to address serious or persistent shortfalls in wholesale service. However, it is expected that the retailer will have tried to resolve local operational issues direct with the wholesaler before entering into the formal disputes procedure.
Delivery is the major cause of complaint.
Major changes have been made to bring greater independence to the ISSA process. These have included the appointment of an ISSA Administrator in 2000, while May 2002 saw the appointment of independent arbiters to handle Stage 2 arbitrations.
In the six years since it launched seven full editions have been published and three update documents issued. The seventh edition became operative on 1 October 2002.
ISSA is one of the success stories of the industry, resulting in real improvements to retailer service.