Halloween fun at newsXpress

nxp-halloween_final.jpgnewsXpress has shown that Scary can be fun with its fresh approach to Halloween this year.  newsXpress stores across Australia have been places of fun and good business over the last few weeks and this past week especially as we drew closer to the big night – TONIGHT! We have made newsXpress stores destination stores for Halloween. Customers love this, newsXpress retail employees love this and newsXpress retailers love this!

Our Halloween strategy has proved again this year to draw new traffic and extend the shopping basket – with good margin product.  This is a great commercial story for newsXpress stores.

Tonight, if you hit the streets for some trick or treat fun or if you head off to a Halloween party, have fun (because Scary can be fun), stay safe and think about newsXpress – we’re your Halloween destination.  Boo!

Brisbane newsXpress members meeting

newsXpress is hosting a members meeting and drinks on Tuesday November 10 starting at 3pm and followed by Christmas drinks. This will be held at the Virginia Golf Club, Elliot Road, Banyo, QLD, 4014.

This will be our final members meeting in Brisbane for 2009.  It is a packed agenda with a couple of newsXpress exclusive announcements which members will not want to miss.

Great Halloween success at Wetherill Park

nx_wetherill_park.jpgThe team at newsXpress Wetherill Park created a stunning display for their first ever engagement with the Halloween season.  The display went up in September and they have sold out of everything, in advance of the big day.

This is an excellent example of using a newsXpress initiative to drive traffic and sales around a good margin story thanks to newsXpress preferred supplier relationships.  newsXpress brings all the elements of a successful campaign together for local action at the store level.

The execution by the team at newsXpress Wetherill Park has been excellent and the results rewarding.

Witches at newsXpress Laidley??!!

nx_laidley.JPGNot really witches, not at all!  Amanda kindly agreed to model the purple witches’ hat – part of the Halloween range at newsXpress Laidley.  Amanda is all smiles standing next to a great display of Halloween product which has been selling well as we approach the big day this Saturday.

newsXpress Laidley has embraced Halloween and represented newsXpress well with thes popular and profitable season.  The know how enjoyable the season can be and the word of mouth value for the business by embracing it.

newsXpress and Tattersalls embrace Halloween

nx_tattersalls.JPGThe newsXpress and Tattersalls Halloween marketing collateral work well together in-store – promoting dreams and fun for Halloween this Saturday, October 31.  By connecting newsXpress and Tattersalls in this way, newsXpress locations with Tattersalls are able to gain additional valuable leverage for their Halloween related sales.  Halloween 2009 is a great example of the newsXpress difference at work for our members.

Celebrating Pink Ribbon Day at newsXpress Sarina

_2-023.jpgShelley Petersen and the team at newsXpress Sarina created a wonderful display of pink giftware  in support of Pink Ribbon Day. 50% of sales from all pink (coloured) products will be donated to the Australian Breast Cancer Foundation. The display will be up for a week.

This is a wonderful local initiative at newsXpress Sarina.  It shows the business as being socially concerned and demonstrating this in a creative way.  They make newsXpress proud.

The initiative is further evidence of why newsXpress Sarina deserves their award of 2009 Queensland Newsagent of the Year.

Great 2010 diary marketing for newsXpress

nx_diaries.jpgnewsXpress members are about to receive A1 size collateral for promoting 2010 diaries in-store.

The collateral is being sent without cost to newsXpress members as part of our continuing commitment to helping newsXpress locations professionally merchandise key categories in their businesses.

The diary collateral follows the corporate image theme which is running through all newsXpress seasonal marketing.  This drives a visual consistency across visual merchandising in newsXpress locations and in our consumer marketing – a consistency which demonstrates the strength of disciplines within the group.

Halloween comes to Young, NSW

nx_young.jpgnewsXpress Young is having fun with a good range of scary products for Halloween this year.  Supported by the newsXpress Halloween collateral, this is a new opportunity for the business.

Situated on the Olympic Highway in the South West Slopes of NSW, Young is a great place to visit and offers something for everyone.  It attracts many tourists.  The Halloween offer will appeal to families travelling through as well as locals looking to have a bit of fun this Saturday night.

newsXpress does not endorse News To Business

newsXpress is disappointed that News To Business is paying to come up in Google searches for newsXpress.  This morning, if you type in newsXpress to a Google search, a sponsored link for News To Business comes up.

News To Business competes with newsXpress.  Our view is that they would be better off winning customers on their own merits rather than trying to ride off our coattails.

Scaring Castle Towers shoppers for Halloween

nx_halloween_ctowers.jpgHalloween is big business at newsXpress Castle Towers, showing that this party season can be a lot of fun and good for business in a large shopping centre based newsagency.  The newsXpress Castle Towers team has a broad range of Halloween products from the small to large.  They have an excellent range for  a Halloween party together and for those planning to walk the streets on a trick or treat mission.

The placement of Halloween near cards at Castle Towers is ideal in that it helps drive add-on greeeting card sales to the Halloween shopper.

Driving new traffic for stationery

nx_statnow.JPGSometimes the most obvious opportunities to find new customers are right in front of us.  This is what some newsXpress members are finding with the newsXpress EXCLUSIVE Stationery Now promotion.  The almost 1 million flyers delivered to letterbox and the in-store collateral are combining to draw new traffic in-store and one there convert this to sales.

Stationery Now is a brand based campaign, supported by key suppliers and newsXpress, designed to pitch newsXpress locations as offering.  It is deliberately running at a time of the year when few other stationery players, newsagents included, are promoting the category.

The newsXpress strategy has delivered excellent stationery product at highly competitive prices to our network and backed this with an integrated marketing and merchandising campaign which demonstrates the newsXpress difference.  So, this is a good traffic and good margin story – making old money new money.

We are proud to be innovating in this area – it certainly beats complaining or sitting on your hands.

Newsagents can use a professionally structured offer to drive good margin stationery sales.  newsXpress can show you how.

Golden Casket newsXpress Agent of the Year Award

golden-casket-award.JPGNia and Aaron Kugel from newsXpress Fernvale won the Golden Casket newsXpress Agent of the Year Award for 2009.  Announced by David Robinson, Head of Retail Golden Casket Lottery Corporation Limited, at our National Conference in Melbourne a week ago, the award recognises sales growth and engagement with Golden Casket products.  The award includes a cash price and movie passes to be shared with employees who helped the business win the award.  Congratulations of newsXpress Fernvale.

New reusable fashion shopping bag from newsXpress

nxp_bag.JPGnewsXpress has launched a re-usable fashion black bag that will sit comfortably alongside similar items at major retailers. This bag can be used for items commonly sold in newsXpress locations: newspapers, magazines, ink, cards, gifts.  The quality bag is versatile and fashionable.  We are certain customers will use the new bag in everyday situations, increasing newsXpress branding in the community.  It is an excellent branding investment.  This new bag will supersede the red bag currently in the newsXpress range.

Brand name ink offer embraced by newsXpress

Many newsXpress members took part is a special offer for HP branded ink this past week.  The offer applied only to genuine HP product – i.e. product not imported through the grey market.  This genuine offer was put to newsXpress members earlier this week and in three days excellent orders were received.  Participating members demonstrated the value of wise buying of brand name products.

newsXpress is passing on to members the full benefit of the special pricing and thereby enabling newsXpress locations to achieve better margin for this product.

Driving high margin calendar sales

nx_cal2010_poster.jpgThe newsXpress strategy for driving high margin calendar sales is reaping excellent rewards already this year.  We have newsXpress members new to calendars ordering extra stock, having sold most of their initial order early in the season.

newsXpress calendar range advice, training and promotional collateral such as the exclusive newsXpress branded poster demonstrate the newsXpress difference in calendars.  The value of business transacted by our members already this year is proof of the excellent commercial value of our calendar strategy to our members and our calendar partners.

You know the newsXpress strategy is working when the calendar outlet nearby is selling their stock at 25% (or more) off already this year.  Some of our members are seeing this as they walk past on their way to the bank.

Embracing Halloween at newsXpress

fhn_halloween_entrance.JPGThe team at newsXpress Forest Hill moved Halloween to the main thoroughfare entrance to the shop as part of their plan to combat store blindness and to better connect with the Lotto October 31 superdraw.  This was always part of the plan.  Halloween started in the window three weeks ago as it did last year.  Moving key seasons in this way is part of the newsXpress strategy of embracing change and keeping the retail offer fresh.  The time involved is rewarded with sales growth.  newsXpress Business Development Managers pitch the value of change in their regular store visits.

Promoting newsXpress Radio

newsxpress_radio.jpgWith newsXpress Radio playing in more and more of our stores, we have provided free collateral with which these locations can let customers know what they are listening to.

While the newsXpress brand is pitched regularly on-air in advertisements, station identification and at other times, we figured that posters promoting our own radio network were appropriate to reinforce this newsXpress exclusive.

We currently have more than twenty advertisers promoting product through our radio network.

newsXpress radio is unique in that it is live.  This means live news, live weather, live commercail reads and live shout-outs to newsXpress stores around the country.  Being live makes newsXpress feel more real than the canned radio you hear in other retail networks.