The Stig and Top Gear

ascot-vale-top-gear.jpgThe team at newsXpress Ascot Vale understand the appeal of some of the characters of Top Gear and reflected this in their brilliant window display.  The headline, The Stig is Here above his image says it all to draw attention to the launch of Top Gear Australia.

newsXpress members understand the importance of retail theatre in driving sales.  Few marketing groups attack magazine opportunities like we do at newsXpress – as the folks from Ascot Vale show in their window.

WOW… THE KIDS CLINIC WAS A RIPPER!!!!!

The first ever newsXpress Kids Clinic which is supported exclusively by Canson & Pentel was conducted at Watergardens Town Center in Taylors lakes. It was an absolute Ripper! Store theatre is a key to cultivating new business and and tapping into the younger generation provides a “new money” revenue stream and cultivates future customers.

Hundreds of kids walked away with Hallmark balloons, newsXpress red bags and their drawing on canson carboard done with pentel pens. A number of kids had their faces painted, got a Pentel T-shirt or bag and had a balloon made for them by the clown.

We will start rolling these out county-wide ASAP and they will work in all store locations!

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HOT ink! is GETTING HOTTER!

HOT ink! is the best offer in the Newsagency channel. Some competitors in our channel believe we are too cheap. The fact is we have the best offer in the channel by far!

  • Excellent prices
  • Complete marketing strategy
  • Impressive Returns

Its only going to get better. With over 1 million brochures now being distributed Australia wide our suppliers Hewlett Packard, Cannon, Brother, Lexmark & Epson are thrilled to be associated with the most rapidly growing ink business in the channel.

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STORE DESIGN & FITOUT ARE KEY TO MAXIMUM RETAIL PERFORMANCE

If your shop looks like Dave & Grace Sullivan run it, maybe its time you embraced a modern flexible store design concentrating on new money revenue streams. newsXpress works predominantly with three companies in this space, Interfit Retail, Rowes & Zone Design. If you look at the difference of a newsXpress store over you average Newsagency you’ll see why newsXpress leads the way not just in sales but in adaptabilty and fitting in more new money revenue. Let your store do the work for you, and allow it to be the upsell mechanism.

A well-planned retail store layout allows a retailer to maximize the sales for each square meter of allocated selling space within the store. In your new store design plan your store layout, atmosphere, and create irresistible visual merchandising displays, as well as using special lighting techniques to accent your products.

CARE & FRIENDSHIP MONTH – EXCLUSIVE TO newsXpress

A few years ago Terry Augustine at newsXpress Browns Plains came up with an in between seasons campaign to bolster greeting card sales. It has since evolved into a major campaign for newsXpress so much so that it is an exclusive Hallmark – newsXpress Alliance promotion.

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THE MOST RETAIL SAVVY TEAM SUPPORTING “THE BEST NEWSAGENTS IN TOWN”

Do you recognise any of these names. newsXpress has the most retail savvy support team in the channel. With a team like this serving you, your business will move forward in leaps and bounds.

  • Mark Nagy: Director & CEO
  • Karen Sutton: National Business Manager
  • Ian Urquhart: Business Development Manager
  • Roger Bortfield: Business Development Manager
  • Lesley Bortfield: Business Development Manager
  • Sonia Ruhland: Administration Coordinator
  • Jeff Walsh: Category Manager
  • Michelle Caia: Category Manager
  • Chris Hicks: National Property Manager
  • Ron Thorpe: Director of Greeting Card Strategy
  • Paul Waite: Events Manager
  • Trent Shields: National Marketing Manager
  • Ben Kay: National Merchandise Manager
  • Mark Fletcher: Director
  • Graham Randall: Director

To contact us: enquires@newsxpress.com.au

COMPETING AGAINST BIG BUSINESS – YOU CAN DO IT!

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The article posted here discusses results of a study that examined successful strategies and tactics used by businesses in smaller communities to compete against major discount chains. The majors are happy to take your business. If you want you can take it back! Read the article via the attached link.

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STRATEGY IS A KEY TO SUCCESSFUL MARKETING GROUPS – IS YOUR GROUP ON THE BALL?

It is interesting to see the lack of strategy in the Newsagency channel. Remember the good old milk bar? There used to be thousands of them and we all used to be a patron and a customer. What has happened to them? Well due to a lack of organisation, poor marketing strategy and communication, sadly they are all but extinct replaced by more modern robust retailers who engage with their customer not just relying customer service but with positional and promotional marketing, communicating their offer.

If your Newsagency is turning into a $2 shop or relying just on predictable stationery promotions advertising unknown house brands. Is your group leadership team providing you with blue ocean strategy or just making you compete in red oceans? If you are competing in red oceans you need to question your groups and your own business direction. Have a good look at what the competition is doing to your business. National brands are the key to our channels future as well as having the tools and know how to compete.

At a recent ANF Convention the question was posed, if newsagents do not align themselves with a progressive, healthy and evolving marketing group they will end up like Milk Bars.

There are only eight chances for any retailer to differentiate itself from its competitors. The Newsagency retailer has to deliberately choose a unique mix of values and activities which becomes even more powerful if driven by a marketing group, one that is different from its rivals, in order to establish its very own unique competitive position.”

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Among the “Eight Ways to Win”, five are based on the 5Ps of marketing – Product, Place, Price, Promotion and People. Called the Pentagon Concepts, they are the features of the retailer that the customer can see, and are the very reasons that customers choose to buy from one retailer and not another. Done right, these elements become the distinguishing hallmarks of successful retailers.

The three other ways in which a retailer can win are in its Triangle Activities – Systems, Suppliers and Logistics – aspects of the retailer usually not seen by the customer but underscoring everything that the retailer offers. These activities provide profit opportunities, and are sometimes even promoted as distinguishing features of the retailer.

In publishing this information we’d also like to acknowledge that we have gained the permission of Lawrence J Ring who along with Douglas Tigert, two US Professors have allowed the publication of this. Newsagents and suppliers could both benefit from the Monash course in Strategic Planning and Management at the Australian Centre for Retail Studies led by Professors Lawrence J Ring and John Strong. See the attached web link for more details:

http://www.buseco.monash.edu.au/centres/acrs/prospectus/pdf/2008brochure.pdf

A GREAT BRAND MAKES A TREMENDOUS DIFFERENCE TO YOUR NEWSAGENCY

THE OLD STORE

THE NEW newsXpress BAIRNSDALE

Since joining newsXpress the team at newsXpress Bairnsdale have seen huge growth in sales and foot traffic. They had always stocked ink and toner and also marketed it through another group, however, since adopting HOT ink!, and all the other newsXpress strategies not only has basket size increased, but customers are commenting, “we didn’t know you sold ink cartridges”, yet they’ve had them in stock for over two years.

Its amazing what a great brand like newsXpress and sub branding like HOT ink! and communicating your offer via well though out advertising can do for your business.

Promoting Top Gear in Gympie

Gympie is an old mining town on the Fraser Coast in Queensland town.  It has seven newsagencies.  newsXpress Gympie never does anything by halves.  Take a look at the sign they installed in front of newsXpress Gympie to pronot the launch of Top Gear, the new magazine from ACP Magazines.

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Needless to say, Warrick Hosking at the team at newsXpress Gympie sold out of Top Gear.

newsXpress Gateway (WA) shines

The newsXpress Gateway shop is a shining example of how a modern newsagency can look.  Beyond its stunning presentation is the success with new money, categories which are genuinely new to newsagents.  These newsXpress initiatives are driving good results for the team at Gateway.  They can be gvey proud of an attractive and successful business.

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The art bar from Canson is particularly impressive.  Beyond the good look is a startegy which brings new traffic and deepens the shopping basket.  This is where the newsXpress facilities and a smart local newsagent combine for great success.

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Care and Friendship at Salamander Bay

100_0191.jpgThe team at newsXpress salamander Bay have embraced the Care & Friendship campaign wholeheartedly.

Care & Friendship is an exclusive to newsXpress campaign backed by Hallmark with co-branded marketing collateral and other support.

At Salamander Bay they have the free Hallmark bear on display to drive sales. With the campaign running till the 27th of July it is sure to attract some attention and build sales at Salamander Bay.

WA MARKET FAIRS COMPLETE THE SUCCESS

It was a pleasure to conclude our market fairs in WA. We had many happy suppliers attend and the newsXpress members that attended all agreed it was a fantastic success.

The day included a members meeting and we signed two new members as they were able to clearly see the difference between newsXpress and other models offered in the channel.

When asked if we should continue to do these market fairs the WA newsXpressers gave us a resounding YES!

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Twice the luck at newsXpress!

Hot on the heels of newsXpress Pacific Pines’ $1,000,000 win in last week’s Wednesday Gold Lotto draw comes news that newsXpress Drewvale have replicated this success for a lucky customer this week as well.

The sole winners on each night have become instant millionaires and the store proprietors and team couldn’t be happier to plant a permanent smile on a customer’s face.

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6-Pack translates to success at newsXpress Lowood

newsXpress Lowood have come up with an innovative idea to stimulate sales of their Lotto Syndicates. The recent OZ Lotto Draw saw them set up each Syndicate as a System 11 with 21 shares available, each share costing $11.22.

For each Lotto draw the store sets up at least six Syndicates and have begun promoting a ‘6-Pack’ sale. The intrigued customers are then offered a share in six System 11’s at a cost of $67.32.

Calling it a six pack has really got a great sales punch. and Lowood Team Members have now moved on to selling multiple six packs where they sell a six pack for each night.

Sales thus far have been extraordinary and the team have greatly enjoyed making and decorating the store with some simple marketing materials.

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Care & Friendship Launches in Indooroopilly

The newsXpress exclusive Care & Friendship promotional event launched at newsXpress Indooroopilly yesterday.

With the exclusive backing of the Hallmark Alliance Program the promotion is certain to generate excitement in stores. Each newsXpress received sensational Marketing Materials centred around the competition to win a giant 36″ Forever Friends Bear.

For the launch Hallmark representatives assisted newsXpress Indooroopilly team members to create a spectacle with Balloon and other prize give aways, the always popular Forever Friends Bear making regular appearances, a Kodak Photo Docking station (to have your picture taken with the furry friend), and a colouring competition for the little ones.

Care & Friendship Day will be celebrated on Sunday, July 27th so get down to your nearest newsXpress store and purchase any two Forever Friends or Wellington Bear branded products to be in the running to take home one of the Giant Bears.

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‘Top Gear’ a winner in print at newsXpress

The popular SBS Jeremy Clarkson vehicle (pun intended) launched as a magazine in Australia today with many newsXpress stores getting in on the act. Sales so far have been very strong and hopefully will find a long term market once the local production hits the airwaves later this year.

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newsXpress Indooroopilly created a typically impressive display utliising the supplied POS aswell as some very apt props.

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newsXpress Glendale maximised the shows appeal as a drawcard by setting up a TV screen with episodes showing as part of their Top Gear display. They predict they will run out of supply by tomorrow.

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newsXpress Sarina got into the rev head spirit borrowing an FPV GT from Powerhouse Ford in Mackay for the Top Gear launch. Several customers were spotted taking photos and wanting to take the car for a spin around town!

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Scott & Cassie from newsXpress Toowong proudly stand before the display that has generated over 40 sales in just two days.