Author: mark

I am a Director of newsXpress, a marketing group for newsagents keen for a bright future. You can reach me on +61 418 321 338 or mark[at]towersystems.com.au

Easter at newsXpress Knox

newsXpress Knox has been enjoying excellent sales of Easter product from this display over the last two weeks. Everything is selling well from the Hallmark cards to the Beanie Kid to the Cadbury products.

This store is an excellent litmus test of newsXpress performance given the highly competitive nature of retail at the Knox City Shopping Centre. There are two newsagencies as well as plenty of gift shops and other outlets selling cards and gifts.

Displayed on the lease line facing out into the shopping mall, the whole Easter display is bright, appealing and selling.  Indeed, the store is set to achieve excellent sales growth over 2011 following good growth over 2010.

Easter has evolved into an important retail season, well beyond cards. newsXpress is helping members make the most of the opportunity.

Congratulations to Margaret Carmody

newsXpress member Margaret Carmody was been named last week the Most Inspiring Woman of Boorowa in an community award timed to coincide with celebrations for the 2012 International Woman’s Day.

This is wonderful recognition of hard work, family commitment and much appreciated community involvement from Margaret in her work as owner of newsXpress Boorowa.

newsXpress is thrilled to be able to share this story of community recognition of a wonderful member serving so valuably and as a role model for their local community.

Easter at newsXpress Gatton

newsXpress Gatton has been promoting easter with this front of store display … designed to drive traffic into the business for this season. featuring a wonderful range of Hallmark easter cards and gifts from newsXpress preferred suppliers, the display is a strong pitch for the season and is sure to help the business beat past performance.

Easter is a growing season for newsXpress stores. Indeed, 2011 results were up significantly on 2010. Supplier data indicates that we outperformed many other businesses thanks to a good product mix and excellent marketing.

Promoting Pacific magazines cash prizes

newsXpress Maryborough has been promoting the Pacific Magazines cash giveaway with this placement of the Pacific display unit right next to the counter.

The promotion is supported with entry flyers which are given away wityh each sale – showing customers how to get in the running to win some of the cash on offer.

newsXpress has been behind this promotion from the outset, supporting it in our In Store Offers newsletter as well as through email and other campaigns.  It has proved to be a terrific hit with customers, driving excellent incremental business.

 

AFL beanie Kids at newsXpress Ivanhoe

newsXpress Ivanhoe is promoting the latest range from Beanie Kids – the AFL team Beanie Kids with each team represented by two jumpers.  Located in a high-traffic position, these new Beanie Kids are selling very well. newsXpress Ivanhoe stock the full range of Beanie Kids – to the delight of many satisfied shoppers.

The AFL Beanie Kids have been selling well right across the newsXpress retail network. Skansen, our preferred supplier for this wonderful line, is working hard to satisfy supply requirements.

Thanks to an excellent presentation at the newsXpress national conference, newsXpress members are better informed and educated about the Beanie Kid opportunity and well briefed on developments planned for 2012.

newsXpress Bairnsdale promotes Pacific Magazines and cash prizes

newsXpress Bairnsdale has been promoting the cash prizes on offer thanks to our friends at Pacific Magazines.

This promotion is driving magazine sales and bringing an excitement to participating newsXpress businesses – thanks to exciting displays in high-traffic locations like this one at newsXpress Bairnsdale.

This promotion has been working a treat in our retail stores in driving titles and creating exciting opportunities.

The promotion also reinforces the titles from Pacific Magazines for people working in newsXpress newsagencies.

Congratulations newsXpress winners!

Congratulations to two lucky shoppers for each winning a Galetta Retro Scooters valued at $2395 each:

  1. Chloe Zophie. Sold by newsXpress Harbour Town.
  2. Michelle Walters. Sold by newsXpress Emerald.

Congratulations to the following newsXpress stores for winning as part of our recent Virgin Mobile / Jenlist promotion:

  • Major Prize (Scooter) – newsXpress Sandgate
  • Runner Up ($500) – newsXpress Belconnen
  • Runner Up ($500)  – newsXpress Noosa Heads
  • Runner Up ($500) – newsXpress Halls Head

What a great promotion this has been thanks to Jenlist and Virgin Mobile.

Throughout 2012 newsXpress is offering prizes for lucky shoppers … both across the group as well as at store level.  Our next major prize will be our Mother’s day giveaway which will see in excess of $50,000 worth of prizes given away across newsXpress stores.

Customers are lucky at newsXpress newsagencies.

Exclusive magazine management training for newsXpress retail employees

newsXpress this weeks hosts two training sessions for retail employees working in newsXpress stores. This employee training is part of our commitment to deliver valuable and exclusive training to people in newsXpress stores who are charged with executing day to day decisions in the magazine space.

Too often newsagency training is delivered to the owners of newsagency businesses. We are changing that.

newsXpress is running a series of training opportunities this year for retail employees and therefore helping those working newsXpress stores to develop their skill set and be more commercially valuable to the businesses in which they work.

Access to the training is free. The first two sessions are being run in Sydney on Tuesday and in Melbourne on Wednesday. Both sessions will be run after the close of business.

Additional training will be scheduled in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Gippsland in Victoria.

Each of the magazine training sessions will be conducted on the shop floor and run for around two hours.

We understand that newsXpress is the only newsagency marketing group offering these training opportunities for newsagency employees … further showing off the value we deliver to members and to those who work in newsXpress stores.

newsXpress is excited for the opportunity of this new training as it encodes key aspects of the newsXpress offer and shares valuable knowledge and processes which will help newsXpress newsagency businesses for many years to come.

Cadbury Egg and Spoon a hit for Easter

newsXpress members are already reporting excellent sales for the Cadbury Easter chocolate range now available through our retail network.

The wonderfully packaged Egg and Spoon product is proving to be particularly popular with newsXpress shoppers. It’s quite unique.

Being Cadbury branded leverages the valuable trust shoppers have in this brand. As a brand based group, newsXpress members love the value brands deliver – brand focused shoppers are far more loyal that shoppers who purchase on price.

 

Easter marketing collateral

newsXpress members are making excellent use of the A1 sized landscape and portrait marketing collateral sent our for Easter 2012.  This exclusive to newsXpress collateral is provided in landscape and portrait to serve the diverse needs of members of our newsagency marketing group.

All marketing collateral is being provided in both shapes as a bonus free service to newsXpress members.

The artwork is exclusive to newsXpress and developed by our own marketing team for use by members of our group.

Meeting with newsXpress members in Western Australia

Rob Henderson newsXpress Chief Operating Officer has been in Western Australia  meeting with members this week, overviewing strategies and discussing plans for the state … and acquiring new members. This visit is part of an on-going campaign of connecting with newsXpress members and sharing insights and advice which will help drive business growth.

Lolita glasses in stunning display at Watergardens

newsXpress Watergardens is promoting a great deal on bridal champagne glasses. At less than half the usual price and with an excellent margin for the business, this range is a perfect win win.

The offer shows off the brilliant visual merchandising skills in-store as well as excellent buying from newsXpress preferred suppliers. Many of our suppliers have special buy opportunities like this which smart newsXpress members tap into to leverage a competitive advantage.

The glasses are the Lolita brand, the same brand that was a hit for newsXpress members as part of our Christmas offer.

Exclusive Beanie Kid newsXpress Easter colouring competition popular

The exclusive Beanie Kid newsXpress Easter Colouring competition is generating fun engagement among shoppers at newsXpress stores.

From the professional collateral to the entry form, this competition is another example of the value of newsXpress and newsXpress members working together with a wonderfully supportive supplier.

By combining our efforts we bring on something that genuinely adds value and drives sales.

This is newsXpress at its best … bringing proactive nationally recognised brands together with the best group of newsagents in the country. Driving sales and making customers happy.

Easter at newsXpress Kin Kora

newsXpress Kin Kora has had an excellent Easter display up for several weeks, making the most of newsXpress Easter offers from our friends at Skansen who supplied newsXpress stores with the successful Easter Beanie Kid range.

Capped with part of our newsXpress Easter collateral range, this display from a couple of weeks ago shows off the Beanie Kids in a high traffic location … offering a low calorie Easter treat for kids and adults.

With the Beanie Kid range such a hit across newsXpress stores it made sense for our retail network to engage with the easter opportunity.

 

newsXpress members love our In-Store offers newsletter

newsXpress members continue to embrace our EXCLUSIVE In-Store offers newsletter which comes out in time for the start of each month.

This is a genuine point of difference for newsXpress, something which shows off our commitment to national brands and which provides our members with an excellent marketing tool for their businesses at no cost.

This month’s newsXpress In-Store offers newsletter is all about Easter products and the wonderful $10,000 in prizes offer for shoppers purchasing New Idea, That’s Life, Who, Famous, Better Homes & Gardens and Marie Claire. It is packed with news and opportunities which reinforce the value of shopping at newsXpress.

HOT Ink! hot for newsXpress members

newsXpress members are enjoying being in the middle of another HOT ink! campaign, driving new traffic and sales through a national campaign being promoted into letterboxes around Australia.

Promoting a good range of ink and toner from HP, Canon, Epson, Brother and Lexmark, the latest campaign continues the newsXpress strategy of supporting national brands with national advertising and marketing.

In addition to promoting HOT ink! through flyers delivered into homes, some of the feature products in the latest HOT ink! offer are being promoted in our In Store Offices Newsletter this month.

With ink accounting for more than a third of all ink sales, regular HOT ink! campaigns are a vital traffic driver for our member businesses.

newsXpress offers a proven and successful ink strategy which delivers valuable commercial outcomes for newsXpress members.

Promoting Hallmark’s Cooper at Ballarat

newsXpress Ballarat is promoting Cooper products from newsXpress Strategic Partner Hallmark.

This placement has been working a treat for the business, generating excellent sales of the Cooper inter native product and the large Cooper plush bear.

newsXpress newsagencies across Australia have been enjoying success with Cooper, driving traffic thanks the marketing by Hallmark and driving sales through good displays in-store.

Cooper is part of a broader strategy by Hallmark which newsXpress is well positioned to leverage for newsXpress members and for newsXpress shoppers.

Hallmark is a strategic partner of newsXpress.

newsXpress Easter Beanie Kid offer on TV

The newsXpress Easter Beanie Kid promotion is on national TV on GO!, This exclusive to newsXpress advertising is sure to drive traffic for our members and help ensure that the beanie Kid products sell well.

A bonus of the TV commercial airing will be the sales of the AFL Beanie Kids products which are now in-store plus sales of Easter products … Hallmark cards, Cadbury Easter treats and Easter  plush from our preferred suppliers.

Miss Caramel ads connect with newsXpress Easter offer

The Miss Caramel ads being run by Cadbury in national media are connecting beautifully with the Easter offer from newsXpress.

Our Easter Cadbury range includes the Caramel Bunnies from Cadbury.

In national magazines as well as on Facebook, Miss Caramel is the face of the Cadbury campaign promoting the delicious Caramel Bunnies.

Supporting national brands is proving to be a wise move for newsXpress and newsXpress members. Shoppers recognise and trust the brands they see advertised and engaged with on social media. This trust drives sales. Trusted brands can attract higher prices than products sold on price alone.