April, 2013 | newsXpress Blog

newsXpress leadership team at Hong Kong Gift Fair

newsXpress was well represented at the Hong Kong Gift Fair over the weekend and into this week. A group flew in especially for the trade show to meet with existing suppliers and to discover new opportunities.

With several successful exclusive products under our belt in 2012, 2013 is shaping up as an even better year for newsXpress members in the exclusive products space. That’s been a key focus of the work in Hong Kong over the last few days.

None of the products sourced are being sent to newsXpress members without permission. newsXpress members are presented products and get to choose what they take or don’t take. Sometimes, with limited stock available for a new release, the first movers really do get an advantage.

newsXpress will not announce details of products here. Rather, it shares that information with members on a confidential basis 0 to protect the benefits negotiated by our buying team. What we found in Hong Kong is exciting and presents excellent opportunities in line with the core product ranging values of newsXpress.

newsXpress features in UK retail review

newsXpress Southland is featuring at UK website Better Retailing, the website for enterprising independent retailers. The interview and story focus on our new corporate store, newsXpress Southland where we are playing considerably beyond the traditional newsagency model.

newsXpress Southland is our third corporate store and our most innovative yet. Some of what we are doing at Southland is already being embraced by newsXpress members. Other innovations will be discussed in the second half of this year once we have data on performance.

Being covered by a respected UK independent retailer website is terrific kudos for newsXpress and everyone involved in Southland. It holds our innovation up on a respected world stage for others to learn about and consider for their businesses.

newsXpress Southland, and indeed all of our corporate stores, are part of what is different about newsXpress. We genuinely innovate in our corporate stores and share the results of this innovation with our members. The result benefits all.

newsXpress Southland receives many visitors each week as a result of the word of mouth about the store and what it’s doing in terms of GP result and sales. We share more detail with newsXpress members for the benefit of our banner group.

Launching newsXpress employer assist

newsXpress have launched newsXpress employer assist, a HR service exclusively for newsXpress members.

Provided to newsXpress members at no extra cost, the service will include access to a 1300 hotline for answering your HR or IR issues, regular news in this newsletter on HR issues and a discounted rate for services such as contracts of employment, terminations and Fair Work Australia representation.

We have been working for some time to source an offer for members in the HR area and are pleased to have found an organisation positioned to professionally serve your needs nationally.

This is another excellent and valuable difference delivered from newsXpress to its members.

Promoting Mother’s Day in a newsXpress newsagency

newsXpress members have excellent collateral with which to promote Mother’s day. The materials from Hallmark are supported with materials from newsXpress including A1 professionally designed and printed posters.

In considering the message for Mother’s day, rather than a pure commercial play, we went with the simple Thanks Mum! This says it all and tested well when we put our pitch options to a panel for consideration.

We’re aware that for seasons like Mother’s day retailers bombard shoppers. We preferred to step back. It’s working well.

Newsagency marketing group helps newsagents promote their point of difference for magazines

newsXpress has provided members with professionally produced posters for promoting the newsagency channel’s longest running and most successful loyalty program, the newsXpress Magazine Club Card.

This collateral is bonus collateral provided to newsXpress members at no cost for promoting a category that continues to deliver good and valuable results to newsXpress members.

Designed to drive loyalty in the form of above average magazine purchasing by a customer, the newsXpress Magazine Club Card program is a tremendously successful program, resulting in well over $100,000 of benefits being delivered to newsXpress members each year.

This is a practical, easy to engage with and commercially valuable program for newsXpress members and newsXpress customers.

Launceston newsagent meeting latest networking opportunity from newsXpress

newsXpress hosted what we call a cluster meeting in Launceston on Tuesday last week. This is a round table business discussion / business building meeting where newsagents can talk freely, suggest ideas to others, discuss challenges and network about business generally.

The Launceston, funded and facilitated by newsXpress, is another example of the difference we bring to the life of a newsXpress member, helping by providing time out of the business to work on the business with colleagues.

The result of cluster meetings is usually a to do list back at the shop – based on comments and advice from your peers.

newsXpress leads the newsagency channel in providing networking opportunities.

newsXpress members embrace exclusive Christmas product offer

newsXpress gave its members less than a week to place orders for an exclusive Christmas product opportunity. We have a tough minimum order quantity to reach and just a few days to do it.

Within the deadline, newsXpress members stepped up to the challenge. They overshot the minimum order quantity by 20%, locking in an excellent exclusive product for Christmas 2013. This is the first of what is expected to be a number of opt-in exclusive Christmas opportunities.

No newsXpress member is required to take stock – this is what makes it an opt-in opportunity. That so many have ordered so much speaks to the value of the opportunity.

We’re not detailing the product here as some love to copy us.

Halloween 2013 offers out for newsagency marketing group members

newsXpress has launched a series of Halloween 2013 offers to members, presenting excellent impulse and destination purchase opportunities for newsXpress members who want to embrace this lucrative and growing season.

Offered for members without obligation and requirement, Halloween 2013 products include a range of new items as well as the proven everyday Halloween items that have been so successful over the years.

With Halloween worth more than $10,000 in sales in some stores, it’s a valuable season that can set the business up for a good Christmas.

newsXpress stores set to give away $65,000 in prizes this Mother’s Day

newsXpress stores are set to give away $65,000 worth of prizes this Mother’s Day with the largest single national Mother’s day promotion in the newsagency channel.

The amazing Napoleon Perdis gift pack, valued at over $500, is a gift mum’s will love as a bonus Mother’s Day gift. Specially selected and packed with valuable Perdis items, this gift makes newsXpress stores the go to places for Mother’s day cards from Hallmark.

newsXpress has facilitates the provision of these gifts to newsXpress members for shopper prizes without cost to newsXpress members. It’s another newsXpress difference.

newsXpress helps newsagents grow sales with excellent gifts for loyal shoppers. This is what good shopper loyalty programs are about.

newsXpress welcomes four new members

newsXpress has signed five new members so far in April. These new members in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia add value to the overall group and extend the reach of the newsXpress shingle. We have more going through the process of completing their application ready for evaluation.

As more newsagents hear about our success we anticipate further growth in interest in our unique approach to helping newsagents drive traffic and GP.

We’re not publishing store names here as doing this in the past has led to the store being chased by others.

newsXpress customers share in $60,000 in prizes already in 2013

Already in 2013, newsXpress shoppers have shared in $60,000 in prizes from group wide loyalty-focused marketing. This number is set to double with the wonderful-value Mother’s Day per-store prizes on offer for lucky newsXpress shoppers.

These in-store prizes coupled with our newsagency channel leading Magazine Club Card makes newsXpress stores the best places to shop for cards and magazines.

Through these prizes and shopper loyalty rewards we are driving new traffic as well as sales. Customers love the campaigns!

newsXpress members embracing candy-lanes

The promotion of the candy-lane opportunity promoted consistently by newsXpress for years is paying off for members now engaging after seeing a lane on show at our recent national conference.

Plenty of members have set up or are setting up candy lanes as a result of the practical demonstration at the conference. Some who have already embraced the candy-lane opportunity are reporting excellent impulse purchase results.

Adding a $1, $2 or $5 item at or close to the point of sale is terrific. It’s even better when the margin is more than 50%. This is where newsXpress is leveraging excellent supplier deals with valuable retail insights to deliver to newsXpress members strategies that are growing GP and delivering better business bottom lines.

This is a newsXpress difference you can bank on.

newsXpress hosts newsagency management meeting for Tasmanian members

Several of the newsXpress team will be in launceston Tuesday for a regional newsagency management round table. This confidential discussion will centre on business building opportunities and challenges confronted locally. It’s part of the newsXpress approach to providing newsXpress members with networking opportunities.

These regional meetings have no set agenda, newsXpress members themselves determine what they would like covered … and this is usually set based on local business needs.

Access to these meetings is free for newsXpress members.

newsXpress adds more preferred suppliers to newsagency marketing group suite

newsXpress last week advised members of three more preferred suppliers being added to our preferred supplier suite.

This continued enhancement of the preferred supplier range is valued by newsXpress members. Not only are the excellent discounts appreciated, so to is the broadening range of good-margin products.

newsXpress is on a mission to help members build even more valuable businesses. Our constant refining of the preferred supplier mix is key to achieving this – by offering our members more choices and opportunities to specialise in new retail niches.

We think we have the best mix of preferred suppliers available to newsagents in Australia.

Newsagency marketing group newsXpress announces bonus rebates to members

newsXpress has announced details to members about bonus rebates on offer. Being paid by the group in addition to generous supplier rebates and discounts off invoice, the newsXpress rebate is a further benefit for members, further demonstrating the value of being part of this excellent newsagency marketing group.

Newsagency marketing group newsXpress helps newsagents promote local shopping

The newsXpress newsagency marketing group is proud to have included professionally designed and printed posters promoting local shopping and the connecting of each newsXpress business to the local community in a collateral pack just sent to newsXpress stores.

The supplying of these A1 posters connects with other promotion of local community connection work undertaken by newsXpress earlier this year and in 2012 … continuing a tradition of our newsagency marketing group in helping newsXpress members to remind local shoppers of their community connection.

This wonderful collateral and the overall local community support campaign is one more way newsXpress sets itself apart from other newsagency marketing groups. It demonstrates our understanding of the importance of local communities and their support for local businesses and vice versa.

This is a valued newsXpress point of difference.

newsXpress plush initiative reaping excellent rewards for newsXpress members

At the newsXpress conference last month we shared insights and advice from studies overseas on how, when and where to sell plush. Proactive newsXpress members took this advice back to their stores and we have started to hear of the results.

newsXpress members are reporting extraordinary leaps in sales of plush. Some are seeing sales up 500% in one month. Others are reporting sales of more than $5,000 in plush in a month where the business was not in plush a year ago.

this is money in the bank for newsXpress members. extraordinary results from proactive newsXpress members on the back of excellent advice from newsXpress.

from marketing to management to excellent buying, newsXpress is delivering results that are making members proud to be part of newsXpress.

Newsagency marketing group helps newsagents promote ink value proposition

Newsagency marketing group newsXpress has sent members additional collateral with which to promote the newsXpress exclusive HOT ink! range of products. Through this collateral, newsXpress members are able to connect visually in-store with HOT ink! catalogues and other promotions.

Unexpected by members and provided by newsXpress for free, this latest ink promotion collateral helps newsXpress members connect with national marketing and to work together, in unity, with newsXpress members.

These A1 posters are professionally produced to the highest quality for the benefit of newsXpress members and promoting the quality brand name ink we sell.

New newsagency marketing group training video loaded to newsXpress website

newsXpress continues to load more video training content to the private area of its website to help members get more value from their membership of the group.

This latest video brings to thirteen produced professionally by newsXpress for newsXpress members. Each has been created to help members and their employees to leverage newsXpress insights and knowledge for the benefit of their own businesses. They bring newsXpress national expertise into the local stores.

Accessed via the member area of the website, newsXpress members can watch the videos as often as they like. They can access them from anywhere – providing an excellent resource and positive encouragement for members.