Artee Supplies are working with newsXpress to drive new money sales in the group. DIY invitations are a blue ocean category for newsagents and many newsXpress retailers have embraced some of the great ranges on offer.
Author: admin
Hi, I'm the Tower Systems Webmaster. If you have any technical problems whilst using our blogs please contact me on webmaster[at]towersystems.com.au
Canson driving massive sales in the newsXpress group
The recent retail partnership with Canson is providing interesting data to the group. Not only are sales going north, customers are happy with the quality of the cardboard and happy to pay more for a superior product. National brands drive sales and the Canson/newsXpress partnership is proof of this.
Two Hearts are better than One…
To complement the Hallmark promotional Hearts, newsXpress Kallangur team members have cut out smaller silver and red hearts which hang and swing around the front of the store. The newsXpress Valentine posters hang scattered throughout the store. Gift and novelty ware is situated in the promotional area.
Valentine’s Day – newsXpress Arana Hills style!
Kaylene and Cassie have used this year and last year’s newsXpress point of sale with great effect to build their Valentine’s Display. Still to be added for the last 2 days are a range of helium balloons (for sale and display).
Simple is effective!
This new sign directs customers into the newsXpress Albany Creek Copy Centre area where the Ink and Toner display is.
Can’t miss it!!
Valentines Day Display at newsXpress Albany Creek
Four Display areas are used for Valentines Day, the window, 2 power ends, plus the very front display area next to the greeting cards, where the Forever Friends Bear give away sits with the large poster behind him.
Chocolate Gems are a big hit, as are the giftware and plush offering.
The Displays are fresh and colour co-ordinated.
The Model of Flexibility
When you stroll into newsXpress Spencer St, the first thing you’ll notice is how long the store is. Having been built across Coles largest store in Melbourne’s CBD as part of the Spencer St redevelopment it’s a credit to the design and owners Tony, Veronica and Kitch who have re-entered the industry after a short absence with newsXpress. Flexibility is key in a modern retail newsagency and newsXpress Spencer St is just that. Wait till you see the front windows especially at night time, you’ll be in for a real treat.
HOT ink! Driving New Money
The Carson Group which has five stores under the newsXpress banner on the Sunshine coast have participated in all HOT ink! promotions. Not only have they found a new money stream for their stores they have driven more customers into their businesses through the HOT ink! brochures being widely distributed in their stores catchment areas. As progressive retailers not just newsagents the Carson Group is a model for all newsagents Australia wide in the way they embrace new money categories and drive their businesses to the limit to not only increase their good will but extract operational profit everyday.
Be my Valentine!
newsXpress Sun Valley & newsXpress Kin Kora are leading the way with merchandising standards and creating theatre within their stores. This Valentine’s Day has given them another chance to show their wares and we thank Ian Chapman and Sarah Coombs for their exceptional photos and feedback on specific products.
The Sun Valley Photos (below) feature an aromatic product range from Cooee Brands (Australian Flower Therapy) which is selling really well. Heart beat lollies are given out with each customer purchase along with ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ wishes. The newsXpress Floor Decals are also hitting the mark with a couple of cheeky male customers inquiring as to whether they may indeed ‘steal’ a kiss!
Meanwhile newsXpress Kin Kora (below) have highlighted the Chocolate Gems range which has filled the holes in their Darrell Lea offer and in most cases requires very little work to be saleable. The Hallmark product is selling very well and in particular the Forever Friends ‘Marry Me’ Bear which comes with a free Darrell Lea Love Heart Lollypop.
Sales are going well and everyone is having fun with the season, an outpost will be introduced over the weekend to capitalise on the peak periods – Love is really in the Air!!
Lotto innovation at newsXpress
The various Lotto agencies around the country offer great incentives with mega cash jackpots every other week. This enticement is enough for the regular punters but newsagents often find themselves needing to add their unique flair to truly maximise sales.
Two wonderful newsXpress examples have been communicated during the week:
newsXpress Ballarat used the occasion of this week’s $10mil Powerball Draw to link the theme to Chinese New Year. A considerable amount of lucky symbols and goodwill are associated with Chinese New Year celebrations and the idea behind a ‘Year of the Rat’ syndicate was inspired. Sue Neal reports great interest and was appreciative to be able to utilise and modify the newsXpress provided marketing materials.
newsXpress Sun Valley is a creative hot bed, not just in the newsXpress group but the industry whole. This simple yet effective idea to promote their Amazon Scratchits was a masterstroke.
There are challenges associated with a co-operative franchise operation, but the positives such as freedom of creativity such as exhibited here are more than worthwhile.
Love is in the air at newsXpress
Further examples of the ‘big deal’ newsagents make out of Valentine’s Day. This is a perfect opportunity to engage with their customers in a personal way which the promotion lends itself to.
newsXpress Goulburn is right into Valentine’s Day with even introducing special wallpaper in their Parker pen stand.
newsXpress Erindale have gone all out for Valentine’s Day with Chocolate displays and large signs to help promote their message. Notice the colour theme in the photo? This is done to relate as possible with the traditional colour of the season and attract additional customers.
newsXpress Jamison get creative and prove it is never too early to start a promotion. Darrell Lea sent Easter out a little early so instead of waiting Connie and Dominic have combined their Valentine’s Day and Easter. Already they have received significant orders in large quantities from local businesses for the Easter Product, Hundreds & Thousands eggs.
Hallmark recognition for hardworking newsXpress Windsor
newsXpress Windsor have received the fantastic news that they will be promoted into a higher rebate classification in their Hallmark account. This has occurred due to the hard work of Kam and his team to promote the brand through cards, gift & wrap and an increase in sales. A greater emphasis on merchandising, add on sales and range has led Hallmark to recognise these results and provide backdated rebates through 2007.
The ability to work closely with key account managers and the ever present incentive to improve your return has proved an on-going win/win relationship for newsXpress and Hallmark.
Kam Wong pictured with Karen Sutton at newsXpress Windsor.
HOT ink! sizzles at newsXpress Gympie
Never to do things by halves, Warrick Hosking at newsXpress Gympie has commissioned a massive HOT ink! sign to be hung below his main store branding outside his shop.
This type of pro-activity has resulted in Gympie’s sales increasing from virtually nothing to a potential $80,000 for the year. Embrace technology and it will work for you.
newsXpress Arana Hills are having great success with the ‘new money’ category of Ink & Toner.
Brett and Kaylene Connelly offered this testimonial:
“We have had Ink & Toner in our store for about 11 months.
We got into the product because we wanted something new and with ink we saw enormous growth potential. To accommodate the space required for the cartridges we moved Darrell Lea and exposed a perfect area near the front counter that was highly visible and secure. As soon as we installed some hang sell fixtures we were up and running.
We have participated in each of the five newsXpress HOT ink! promotions. We have found that the sales do spike during the on-sale periods, but pleasingly sales remain strong once the promotion ends.
We have identified a further opportunity for extra sales with associated products and look forward to the merchandising challenge to create a full technological offer.
The catalogues are distributed to the homes in the suburbs surrounding Arana Hills by a letterbox drop company with the remainder being used as bag stuffers in store.
Our advice to any store starting out in this exciting category is to only stock the products suggested and advertised by newsXpress, and even then watch the sales and adjust orders to suit your market”.
Ink & Toner at newsXpress Arana Hills, featured in this photo is the unique Cartridge Rescue recycling bin.
Valentine’s Day at newsXpress
With two catchphrases in use this Valentine’s Day:
- Love is a gift! &
- Steal a Kiss!
newsXpress members have been given greater freedom to create a promotion that is traditional or a little bit cheeky as per the marketing materials provided. Below are a cross section of store displays across the network:
newsXpress Noosaville are using the ‘Steal a Kiss’ floor decals to direct traffic to their Valentine’s Day display which contains cards, gifts & confectionery.
newsXpress Caboolture have introduced simple cane baskets into their merchandising to better display their wide range of Valentine’s Day themed plush.
newsXpress Toowong are strongly promoting the Valentine’s day range of the Hallmark classic Wellington Bear. The newsXpress posters in the background complete the scene.
newsXpress Castle Towers maximise their exposure by setting up camp in a prominent outpost position in their centre. The use of sell-able product as part of the merchandising is most effective.
newsXpress appoints Stationery Category Manager
newsXpress are pleased to announce the appointment of Jeff Walsh as the newsXpress Retail Groups National Stationery Category Manager.
Jeff has over 30 years experience in the stationery field in both the retail and commercial wholesale sectors. He is already well known to newsXpress members as the Queensland State Manager for Stationers Supply and will use this relationship to drive sales throughout the group.
“We see a gap in the stationery market for newsagents” said Graham Randall, founding Director of newsXpress “and the appointment of Jeff to the role of National Category Manager is a means for us to deliver on this opportunity to our members”.
Jeff will begin with newsXpress on the 1st of March and be stationed in the Brisbane support office. He will report directly to Keith Sonerson, National Merchandise Manager.
$1,000,000 reasons to celebrate at newsXpress Coles Upper Coomera
A NSW man in his 30’s was the lucky winner of the $1,000,000 jackpot sold at newsXpress Coles Upper Coomera in the Saturday Gold Lotto draw on the weekend.
Owner Wayne Case noted this was the third $1,000,000 plus victory in his three years in charge of the newsagency.
newsXpress Coles Upper Coomera: Wayne & Angela
Surfing Life strike the right chord at newsXpress Salamander Bay
newsXpress Salamander Bay capture that elusive winning formula with the add on promotion to the new issue of Surfing Life.
Magazine publishers face an unenviable task to keep coming up with fresh and relevant ideas and promotions to continue selling their title and to attract new readers with each edition. According to one of our members, Surfing Life has nailed it with their January edition.
Fiona Matthews from newsXpress Salamander Bay has given kudos to Surfing Life magazine who released their current issue on Wednesday with an Australian flag branded with their masthead as the add-on gift.
newsXpress Salamander Bay honour a great Australia Day tradition at their store with staff dressing up in the local lifesaving clubs gear (
Whilst there is a commercial reality to consider these days, when I look at the happy faces of my staff enjoying themselves and customers are asking us what we are doing next, it makes you smile & think to yourself, days like these are why I love being a newsagent!”
newsxpress Rutherglen is embracing HOT ink!
Since joining newsXpress Jim O’Toole from newsXpress Rutherglen has swapped from newsink to HOT ink! With the superior brochures, marketing and supply chain offered by newsXpress, Jim has seen his sales go through the roof.
Valentine’s Day at newsXpress Scott’s Lismore
newsXpress Scott’s Lismore have gone all out to stamp themselves as the premier retailer in town.
Their Valentine’s Day set up is a great example of how they have gone about this. Giving the promotion prime real estate at the front and centre of the store. They are hoping this produces a good sales result and to show their initiative even further have introduced an opportunity for customers to win their money back with the purchase of any Hallmark Bear.