Melbourne Gift Fair support

newsXpress is hosting a tour of key suppliers at the Melbourne Gift Fair for newsXpress members.  The tour will include newsXpress preferred suppliers as well as several other key suppliers of interest to newsXpress members looking to expand their gift offer.  The tour taps into the considerable gift expertise among the newsXpress team.

newsXpress is also hosting evening drinks for newsXpress members attending the fair.  This will be on Sunday evening at Crown Casino.  Please contact newsXpress for details of this event.

newsXpress Gympie sells $250,000 scratchie prize

gympie_scratch.jpgWarrick Hocking and the great team at newsXpress Gympie are celebrating thanks to one of their customers winning $250,00, the top prize in a recent Golden Casket instant scratch-it game. $250,000 is a great win!  newsXpress is enjoying a run of luck in instant scratch ticket sales and celebrating with a display in-store helps build on that luck.

Helping newsagents find new customers

nx_conferences_2009_2.jpgnewsXpress is hosting the national conference open to all newsagents this year – in Melbourne in October. We have secured WORLD CLASS SPEAKERS who will present newsagents attending with practical immediate-benefit ideas on finding new traffic, new customers, for their newsagencies.

With traditional traffic challenged thanks to a migration online and competition from other retailers, it is vitally important that newsagents have a strategy of new traffic generation.  This national conference will present opportunities for newsagents to take time out of their businesses and explore new ideas.

Newsagents wanting to grow their businesses, network with proactive colleagues and connect with retail visionaries should consider attending this conference in Melbourne. Click here for a copy of the promotional fax we sent out yesterday.

Preorder the official Michael Jackson calendar from newsXpress

michael_jackson_calendar.jpgnewsXpress has demonstrated the value it adds by sending out forms for taking pre-orders for copies of the Official Michael Jackson 2010 calendar.  The order forms are in newsXpress newsagencies now and ready for customers to complete to secure their copy of what is expected to be a popular calendar.

This calendar offer is the newsXpress difference on show.  We devised the idea, created the marketing collateral and provided this to our members in a very quick turnaround.

Our research suggests that we are the only retail group in Australia currently offering pre-orders for the  Official Michael Jackson 2010 calendar.  newsXpress members have an opportunity to lock in good business.

Newsagents ask why they should join one marketing group over another.  What newsXpress has done with the Michael Jackson calendar is an excellent example of why they should join newsXpress.  It demontstrates our ability to create an opportunity out of nothing (selling the calendars well before they arrive), our commitment to pursuing opportunities for our members and our focus on pursuing the newsXpress difference.  The marketing collateral itself demonstrates our creativity at pitching to the consumer.

Importantly, our development of this opportunity demonstrates the newsXpress commitment to calendars and our calendarXpress sub-brand.

Some members have plans to distribute the order form as a flyer to attract new traffic.

This is another in-house project for newsXpress.  As you might get from this blog post – we’re proud of another blue ocean opportunity for newsXpress members.

$200,000 Intralot win at newsXpress Yarram

Colin & Sharon from newsXpress Yarram sold a winning $5 Intralot scratch ticket and their lucky customer won $200,000!  A cheque presentation was held in-store with the folks from Intralot late last week and good media coverage achieved.

A scratch ticket win like this, especially in a country town, can boost sales.  newsXpress Yarram will make the most of the opportunity.

Opportunity to start a newsagency

newsXpress has been presented with three opportunities to create new newsagency businesses.  Two in Sydney and one in Melbourne.  The new Melbourne,location we blogged about two weeks ago has been picked up.  We now have another – in an outer eastern centre where you would be alongside Dan Murphy, Aldi and Chemmart.  The two Sydney locations are equally compelling and present excellent opportunities to anyone wanting to start a newsagency and connect with newsXpress, the marketing group committed to helping newsagents grow their businesses.

In each case, the landlord has approached newsXpress with the opportunity to create these businesses.  We extended the offer to our members earlier this week and not make it more public for expressions of interest.

newsXpress launches $80 million Powerball Syndicate

nx_powerball_80million.jpgnewsXpress Queensland members have got together to support a newsXpress exclusive Powerball Syndicate for the $80 million up for grabs this Thursday.  Based on two System 10 Powerhit tickets, the syndicate represents 22,680 games.  Proactive newsXpress members quickly jumped on board for the opportunity.  Tickets are already selling.

The buzz around this $80 million Powerball Jackpot is excellent in retail.  newsXpress members are already having fun promoting and making the most of the unique opportunity.

For Arts Sake continues as preferred supplier

newsXpress welcomes For Arts Sake as a renewing preferred greeting card supplier to its group of 160 newsagencies.

The extended For Arts Sake newsXpress relationship wills see For Arts Sake cards, gifts and social stationery represented in more newsXpress retail locations.

“The unique range of For Arts Sake cards and other lines are a important in many newsXpress locations around Australia.” commented Graham Randall, Managing Director of newsXpress. “We are pleased to renew this relationship with For Arts Sake”

As a preferred supplier, For Arts Sake will be actively considered by newsXpress members in greeting card and related categories. The new relationship also provides For Arts Sake with access to newsXpress members at member meetings, Market Fairs and our National Conference in Melbourne in October.

“We are delighted to have this opportunity to work with such a proactive group of newsagents as we find at newsXpress. We are confident that our range will serve their businesses and their customer well.” said Richard McGilvray, General manager Sales For Arts Sake.

The newsXpress and For Arts Sake teams will start communicating details of the confidential offer to newsXpress members in the next week.

For Arts Sake distributes to over 5000 retail stores through out Australia and New Zealand and employs over 150 people. For Arts Sake is widely recognised as the largest Australian owned Greeting Card and Gift Company. In addition to its comprehensive Everyday card range For Arts Sake has a significant lifestyle range of cards and a comprehensive range of gift lines.

newsXpress Bairnsdale named exclusive display competition winner

bairnsdale-select-afl-promo-july09.jpgVictorian newsXpress members participated this year in an exclusive display competition with the popular Select brand of AFL cards.

After a number of exceptional submissions were received promoting the product launch, Select and Network Services were faced with the difficult task of selecting just one winner. The judges selected newsXpress Bairnsdale for their impressive in-store display which incorporated merchandising material provided by Select plus their own material including a mannequin and other AFL memorabilia.

As avid St Kilda supporters David and Gina Brakey have won a 2009 signed St Kilda jumper professionally framed and tagged (pictured above).  Select and Network Services Company expressed their thanks to newsXpress and their members for their ongoing support of the 2009 Select AFL Football cards.

A brighter future for newsagents

nx_conference_1.jpgnewsXpress is hosting a conference for all newsagents in Melbourne in October.  We are bringing in WORLD CLASS SPEAKERS who will present newsagents attending with practical immediate-benefit ideas as well as strategic, longer-term benefit, ideas.  There wiill be PRACTICAL WORKSHOPS and many opportunities for BRILLIANT NETWORKING.

The conference agenda pays particular attention to helping newsagents navigate to a bright future out of the considerable change we see today.  Speakers have been carefully selected to present opportunities which speak to newasgents.

Newsagents wanting to grow their businesses, network with proactive colleagues and connect with retail visionaries should consider attending this conference in Melbourne.  Click here for a copy of the promotional fax we are sending today.

Deals on Epson ink at newsXpress

nx_epson_promotion.JPGEpson is one of the brands we support at newsXpress as part of our HOT Ink! offer. We offer excellent prices on Epson branded ink.  This is backed by good in-store product knowledge.  Thanks to our professional shelf labels and hero product shelf talkers, we make shopping for Epson and other ink easy at newsXpress locations.  Our holistic approach to ink makes in a successful category for our members who choose to engage.

We have newsXpress members achieving ink and toner sales equal to 30% of total stationery business – often in locations where the newsagent originally thought that ink would not work for them.  Our complete strategy and back-end support help make this success achievable.

We understand that ink is not for all newsagents and so leave the ultimate decision on whether to participate to each newsXpress members.

HOT Ink! s an exclusive sub-brand to newsXpress and another way we add measurable financial value to newsXpress businesses.

newsXpress welcomes O’Bon as a preferred supplier

nx_obon1.jpgFollowing the successful inrtoduction of the O’BON range in newsXpress newsagencies several months ago, we are pleased to formally announce that O’Bon is a newsXpress preferred supplier.  O’BON offers a high quality new range of stationery, note books made from Sugarcane paper, pencils made from old newspapers, fantastic colours and designs, brighten up any home or office whilst helping the environment.  Theirs is a truly new range of products for newsgents and they are working with newsXpress to roll this out.

This is an excellent opportunity for newsXpress members.

newsXpress Village Mackay Cup

newsxpress-village.jpgMackay’s winter horse racing carnival culminated last Saturday with the running of the Mackay Cup proudly sponsored by newsXpress Village.

As the main sponsor for the day newsXpress Village received saturation advertising on radio, television and in the newspapers leading up to race day. The day attracted over 3,000 festive race goers in their traditional racing finery and a beautiful winter day weather wise ensured everyone had a fantastic time. Troy Ross, owner of newsXpress Village was on hand to give a short speech and present the pewter trophy and winners blanket to Black Gelding, Flying Start out of Legendary racer Testa Rossa.

Troy was further excited by the prospect that the main entrance to the Mackay race track will now be permanently renamed the ‘newsXpress Village entrance’. It was by all reports a brilliant day and a perfect application of local area marketing to increase your brand awareness.

A beaming Troy Ross stands alongside a victorious ‘Flying Start’ in the photo above.

newsXpress Pall mall wins sales award

Congratulations to the team at newsXpress Pall Mall (Bendigo, Victoria) for achieving the greatest sales lift of Girlfriend, K-Zone and Total Girl from Pacific Magazines. The camping run over the Easter period by pacific is part of their Youth Sales Club initiative. Pacific reports that YSC participants performed 6.2% better than non-YSC participants.

This is an excellent story for newsXpress Pall Mall as they win $1,000 in prize money. It is also a reminder of the importance of engagement as a sales lift is valuable for the long-term health of the newsagency.

Bic joins newsXpress as preferred supplier

Bic Australia, represenitng one of the World’s leading brands of writing and correction products, has joined the newsXpress community as a preferred supplier.  Bic offers pens, markers and correction products as well as a large “Back to School” range and primary arts and crafts products.

The newsXpress / Bic relationship will deliver excellent opportunities for newsXpress members.

Jenlist now a preferred supplier to newsXpress

newsXpress is pleased to announce the signing of Jenlist as a preferred supplier to newsXpress members.  Jenlist supplies OPTUS, VIRGIN and BOOST mobile pre paid handsets, Recharge cards and mobile phone accessories, including chargers for the car and home, Mocks for phone protection, ear pieces and much more.  Jenlist also supplies branded “OPTUS” Point of sale.

The Jenlist relationship provides newsXpress members with an excellent range of technology products at good prices and backed by professional marketing collateral.

Mid Year Report to newsXpress members

newsXpress members yesterday received a Mid Year Report from the Directors of newsXpress which reviewed the year so far and previewed the run up to Christmas.  The report further demonstrates our commitment to transparency, accountability and open communication with newsXpress members.

While some of the content of the report has been presented at recent member meetings, the report provides members an opportunity to share the details with business partners and other key team members.