Month: December 2009

Brother P-Touch planogram launched

newsXpress and Brother last week launched a new planogram for the popular range of Brother P-Touch items.  The new planogram provides guidance and insight for newsXpress members keen to develop good sales of this innovative labelling range.

2009 has seen newsXpress and key suppliers introduce a range of planograms.  The result has been sales growth in many areas and learnings in others leading to refinement of the planograms.

This is where newsXpress excels – in adding value to brand name products to help our members present products in the best possible light and to differentiate our businesses from newsagencies.

Dump bin strategy helps move stock

dump_buns.JPGThe dump bin strategy and collateral released by newsXpress earlier this year is helping our members move stock in a professional and successful way.  The branded bins, coupled with the professional newsXpress in-store air signs, draw attention to product you want to move.  Members are reporting great success using these red and black bins to move old stock or remainder stock purchased for sale times – such as the Boxing Day Sale.

We developed the bins to provide newsXpress members with structure for displaying promotional product without the displays looking cheap as is so often the case when end of line or discount stock is put on tables.

newsXpress Sale collateral helps drive business

boxingday_50_nxp.jpgnewsXpress provided members with a range of marketing collateral with which to promote post-Christmas sales.  The flexible collateral enables newsXpress to make local decisions as to the promotions which best suited their needs.

The professional looking collateral helps newsXpress stores present a professional image rather than relying on hand-written or locally typed signs.

newsXpress Castle Towers drives calendar sales

18122009460.jpgnewsXpress Castle Towers has a terrific calendar outpost proudly promoting the calendarXpress brand owned by newsXpress. In addition to promoting calendars, they are also promoting our Merry Giftmas catalogue – a unique catalogue which is driving excellent impulse business in newsXpress stores across Australia.  Outpost tradition is a key newsXpress strategy and can be used effectively to drive excellent retail business.

newsXpress is able to help our members negotiate special outpost rates and to source excellent product deals to make the premium space work for the business.

Great ink and toner deals at Knox City

nk_ink_wall.JPGInk is proving to be a stand-out product for us at our new corporate store at Knox City in Victoria.  In the five days we have been trading, it is a category for which we have received excellent feedback.  Shoppers price-comparing are impressed with our competitiveness for brand name (HP, Canon, Epson, Brother) product.

We have started with a small display and will build on this as we gather sales data showing what our customers prefer in terms of brand and particular cartridge type.

Ink for newsXpress is a hero category.  It defines much about our group: our brand commitment, our price commitment, our professional display and our exceptional customer service.  In each of these areas ink helps us demonstrate the newsXpress difference and through this the value of being part of such an exciting group.

Selling premium pens at the sales counter

nx_knox_p_pens.JPGNot all planograms are designed for hang-sell in retail as the photo shows.  Working with one of our preferred suppliers, newsXpress has developed a high impact counter display strategy for high margin premium pens.  Given that it is behind the counter the product is secure and showing customers the various products is not labour intensive.  By following proven visual merchandising principles, we have created a visually attractive and shopper friendly display.  In our first trial location pen sales have been exceptional from this display.

Promoting the Parker brand as we are reinforces our brand commitment.  We know that selling brand name product, especially as a gift, is easier than selling generic cheaper product.

Our pen display at the counter is not permanent.  It will be rolled in and out several times in the year, to suit key pen purchase seasons.

Key to the success of the display is the fixturing and lighting.  These make the Parker pens shine and drive sales.

Using the second dance floor

nx_kn-x_offers.JPGOur new newsXpress corporate store at Knox City Shopping Centre in Melbourne has two dance floors for promotional displays.  This provides excellent flexibility for promoting seasons as well as the deals which newsXpress access for members.  The second dance floor, configured properly, pulls shoppers deeper into the shop.  We are seeing this at Knox.  We are driving value based business without making the shop look cheap.  The value items on sale are closely aligned with traditional categories in our businesses.  This helps drive flow to the aisles beyond the offers on the second dance floor.

Maped planogram drives sales

nx_knox_maped.JPGThe planogram of quality Maped products is driving sales at our new newsXpress store at Knox City Shopping Centre.  Maped is a brand consumers trust.  Being a brand-focused business, as newsXpress is, it was natural that we support such a strong brand in our corportae store.  What makes the Maped range especially pop is the new fixturing from Interfit which enables more effiicient loading of product than on traditional slatwall.  We are able to easily expand or contract planograms as we may find we need based on sales.

New store opens today

nx_knox.JPGIn three hours newsXpress Knox opens for business.  No fanfare, no grand opening.  The hoarding comes down and we start trading.  Given the proximity of Christmas and that we’re waiting for more magazine and some other stock, this will be a soft opening.  We will not be ready for visitors until the New Year.  This is a fresh approach to newsagency design and layout, product mix and floorspace usage.  We need some time to play.

This store has been created by the newsXpress Head Office team.  Some have worked extraordinary hours as if this is their own business.   Their commitment has done newsXpress proud.

newsXpress Carr’s Armidale prefers a Toyota Yaris

yaris-003.jpgnewsXpress Carr’s Armidale believes in bold corporate branding.  Their red Toyota Yaris can be seen around town doing the good work of a busy newsXpress business.  Branding a company vehicle is a brilliant way of taking the brand beyond the shop.  This makes the direct mail campaigns of newsXpress more meaningful since locals are more likely to have seen the brand.  That the Carr family chose a Toyota Yaris is fortuitous given that we are giving away a Toyota Yaris to one luck newsXpress customer as part of our Back To Work promotion in 2010.

Kudos to newsXpress Carr’s Armidale for their bold branding.  Everyone at newsXpress is thrilled with what they have done with their Yaris.

UHU and 3M planograms

nx_planograms.JPGThe photo shows a UHU and 3M (Scotch, Post-It and Command) planograms working side by side in our newest (yet to open) newsXpress location.  Products were selected for each planogram based on demographic knowledge and supplier data.  The layout was developed by supplier and newsXpress product experts working together.  We will measure the performance of the planograms over the next three months and then make adjustments as considered necessary based on sales data.

We don’t see planograms as a destination.  Rather, they are an evolving story, reflecting on changes in the business.  This is where the supplier relationship is important to – enabling us to be flexible as we see the needs of the business change.

Our two newest businesses contain more planograms than any other newsXpress location.  We are using these two stores to hone our planogram best practice for the benefit of newsXpress members, newsXpress suppliers and newsXpress itself.

Product sourcing is not always about dollar margin.  Sometimes, suppliers deliver margin in non traditional forms which can be tremendously valuable to a business.  The newsXpress planograms are a good example of this.

hiPP Sorted range at Singleton Heights

singleton_sorted.jpgnewsXpress Singleton Heights has the new Sorted range from hiPP.  The Sorted range features stationery as well as coordinated boxes, magazine files and lever-arch folders suitable for domestic or commercial use.   At newsXpress Singleton Heights and other newsXpress locations, the Sorted range broadens the appeal of the business into more of a home office / fashion area than one would see in a more traditional newsagency.  Sales have been strong since its introduction through the newsXpress channel two months ago.

In negotiating terms with suppliers, newsXpress considers the value of a unique range to be as important for some product lines as better margin may be for other product lines.

A great deal from newsXpress – digital photo keyrings a hit

The digital photo keyrings we have in our exclusive Merry Giftmas catalogue are proving to be a huge hit in newsXpress locations across Australia.  Competing with the likes of Harvey Norman, newsXpress members are reporting sell outs two and three times over.  Thousands of sales attest to the success of this product and further prove the value of a professional merchandise team negotiating great group deals.

While some photo keyring sales are as a result of the catalogues delivered to homes around newsXpress locations, other sales are on impulse by shoppers in store for another purpose.

The newsXpress visual merchandising strategies have helped make these photo keyrings a tremendous success for our members and for our partner supplier.

The other aspect of the photo keyring success is that it is further evidence of our success in focusing on brands and using the buying power of our national group to show that we are competitive retailers.  This is a goal of newsXpress, to position our offer differently to traditional newsagencies which are not known for being price competitive or as brand focused.

newsXpress is proud to be innovating for its members and helping deliver a better Christmas season.

newsXpress launches Back to Work campaign

newsXpress has created a new campaign for the newsagency, Back to Work.  This will launch to consumers in January toward the end of our 2010 Back to School campaign.  Back to Work is built around trusted brands across several key product categories.  A key driver for the campaign will be the competition which offers a Toyota Yaris to one lucky newsXpress customer.  newsXpress is grateful to the support of suppliers, Toyota and its members for enabling us to deliver such an excellent prize for this truly innovative new season.

This is the newsXpress difference.  New marketing opportunities around quality branded product delivered in store for competitive prices.  If newsagents want deals they should consider newsXpress – the complete package deal of Back to Work (good product, good prices, out of store marketing and an excellent national prize) makes for a compelling story for newsagents wanting to build their business.

Our Back to Work offers will also be supported on newsXpress Radio, our own live in store radio network, as well as though a letterbox campaign to homes and offers around all participating newsXpress stores.