Author: mark

Personalised support for a changing retail landscape

The modern newsagency is a complex business, and at newsXpress, we recognise that no two stores are identical. Every location faces unique demographic challenges, and every business owner has a different set of goals for their future. Because of this, our approach to membership is not a one-size-fits-all model. Instead, we focus on providing a service that is tailored to the specific situation and aspirations of each individual member.

While every newsXpress member enjoys access to our comprehensive suite of tools, including preferred supplier relationships, network-wide connected websites, seasonal marketing collateral, and digital assets, the true value of the group often lies in our personalised, evidence-based business support.

Evidence-based advice for real results

We believe that the best business decisions are made when they are backed by data. Our team works with members to assess their business data, allowing us to offer advice based on facts rather than assumptions. Quite often, this process reveals what we call “low-hanging fruit”—immediate opportunities for improvement or growth that may have been overlooked during the busy day-to-day operations of the shop.

Our approach looks at the whole of the business. We take into account your specific location, your current product mix, and your available financial and people resources. Most importantly, we listen to what you want and need from your business. Whether you are looking to prepare for a future sale, increase your take-home income, or simply streamline your operations to find a better work-life balance, our engagement is guided by your objectives.

Professional support on your terms

We respect the independence of our members. Some newsXpress store owners prefer to manage their operations autonomously, using our tools as a background resource. Others appreciate a more hands-on, engaged approach from our head office team. The level of collaboration is entirely under your control. Within the newsXpress community, nothing is mandatory or forced upon you; we are here to provide the level of support you find most helpful for your specific journey.

Strengthening the everyday retail foundations

When it comes to the practicalities of in-store retail, we focus on several core pillars that directly impact your profitability and sustainability:

• Buying power: We assist you in securing better buy prices, ensuring your margins remain healthy in a competitive market.
• Stock turn: Our team helps you identify ways to move products faster, reducing the amount of capital tied up in slow-moving inventory.
• Shrinkage: We provide strategies to help reduce the costs associated with theft and administrative errors.
• Differentiation: In a crowded retail environment, we help you position your business differently to improve “shopper stickiness” and customer loyalty.
• New traffic: We assist with marketing and range strategies designed to attract people who are not currently shopping with you.
• Overhead management: We work with you to identify and tame the rising costs of doing business.

At newsXpress, we are more than just a marketing group. We are a partner in your business, actively engaged in helping you make things happen. By combining our national resources with a deeply personal understanding of your specific needs, we help ensure your newsagency remains a vibrant and profitable part of your local community.

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newsXpress is a marketing group that supports small local independent retailers to thrive. Find out more at help@newsxpress.com.au.

Success in the newsagency industry in Australia often relies on the ability to differentiate a business from the competition while managing the constant pressure of overheads and marketing requirements. At newsXpress, we remain committed to providing our members with practical, high-value tools that drive both foot traffic and bottom-line results. One of the most effective examples of this commitment is our exclusive Seasonal Edge program.

Seasonal Edge is unique in the Aussie newsagency channel.

The concept behind Seasonal Edge is straightforward yet powerful. We provide our members with significant prize packages, valued at $350.00 or more, to give away to their customers during key retail periods such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Christmas. This is not a national draw where a winner is chosen from a massive pool; every participating newsXpress store receives its own prize pack. This ensures that a local customer from your specific community is guaranteed to win, which creates a genuine sense of excitement and goodwill within your precinct.

What makes this local retail marketing program a true standout is that the prizes and the accompanying marketing materials are provided to members at no additional cost. In 2025, newsXpress spent more than $1,500 per member in funding for prizes and marketing collateral. This includes professionally designed and printed in-store signage as well as digital assets for social media and email marketing. By removing the financial and creative burden of campaign development, we allow owners to focus on what they do best: serving their customers and managing their teams.

The financial impact of these local retail marketing promotions is well-documented across our network. Seasonal Edge delivers a proven revenue bump by encouraging customers to spend more time in-store and engage with seasonal ranges. Some of our members have reported increases of up to 20 percent in high-margin greeting card sales specifically tied to these promotional periods. Beyond the immediate transaction, the program acts as a powerful tool for customer acquisition. Many stores report seeing entirely new faces who have entered the shop specifically to participate in the local prize draw.

There is also a strategic product discovery element to the program. The items included in the prize packs often serve as a litmus test for new trends. By observing customer reactions to the prize displays, members can identify specific products that resonate with their local demographic, providing valuable insights for future stock procurement.

Being part of newsXpress means you are never working in isolation.

The Seasonal Edge local retail marketing program fosters a unique sense of community through our private member forums. Here, colleagues share photos and videos of their in-store displays, exchanging ideas on what works best and how to maximise the visual impact of the promotion. This collaborative environment allows every member to learn from the collective experience of the group, ensuring that their own execution is as effective as possible.

Seasonal Edge is designed to put money in your bank while nurturing the relationship between your business and your local community. It is a professional, turnkey solution that enhances the relevance of the local newsagency in a crowded retail landscape. By providing the prizes, the marketing, and the support network, newsXpress ensures that our members have a distinct advantage every single season.

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newsXpress is a marketing group that supports small local independent retailers to thrive. Find out more at help@newsxpress.com.au.

The traditional newsagency is changing. newsXpress helps you lead that change. We don’t just offer supplier discounts; we provide personalised, local strategies to help you find new customers, increase spend, and build a business that is both profitable and enjoyable to run.

• The newsagency is dead. Long live your new business.
• Stop running a shop from the past. Start building a business for the future.
• More than a name, more than a newsagency.

newsXpress offers help for Australian small business newsagents keen to improve the performance of their business.

Owning any kind of local retail shop is challenging. It’s lovely, hard work and confronting and you wade through regulation, money complexities, supplier shifts and the need to be ear present for customers.

That’s all before we look at what’s happening with online and with some categories of products moving away from physical retail, like newspapers, magazines and lotteries.

All in though, an Aussie newsagency is a good business to run, as long as you don’t look at as a traditional newsagency. The only part of an Aussie newsagency business that may have any connection to the history of newsagency shops is the business name. The rest, in our view, is up for grabs.

newsXpress helps newsagents transform their businesses. We do this personally, for each business that wants this engagement. Our advice and support is tuned to each business and the needs locally and of the owners. There is no one size fits all approach.

We all know the story of newsagency businesses so far.

You’ve been the cornerstones of your communities.

Our focus is on future, recognising that the spirit of the local newsagent, the community focus, can help us navigate to success.

Think about the opportunities.

People crave connection, convenience, and unique local experiences.

You are perfectly positioned to tap into these needs. newsXpress is configured to help with that.

Join us here at newsXpress and we’ll explore growing together, valuably. We’ll talk about decluttering, making money online, new traffic, and at how we can collectively shape the next chapter of the Australian newsagency.

The world is changing, and change brings opportunity. Your localness and adaptability are superpowers. We bring a process success mindset of innovation, collaboration, and proactive growth.

Let’s work together to make your business worth more.

But wait: If you are looking at joining newsXpress solely for supplier discounts. we’re not the group for you. While we have these, you’ll make more money from everything else we do.

We can help you find new customers.

We can help you guide shoppers to spend more each visit.

We can help you love your business more.

We can help you attract good staff.

We can help you leave the business when you’re ready.

We can help you make more money.

This is what newsXpress does. We help local Aussie newsagents create and run thriving businesses, businesses they enjoy.

There is no single easy fix to achieving any or all of these. What we do with and for each newsXpress member varies by business. Active collaboration is the key to how much we engage with each member.

Whether your shop is small or large, in the city or deep in the country, in a shopping centre or on a suburban street, you are welcome at newsXpress.

We bring decades of physical and online retail experience.

What we seek in prospective members is a desire to run a valuable and enjoyable business.

newsXpress is not your typical newsagency group. We are not a franchise. We are not average or basic.

What we are is 100% focussed on the success of our member businesses.

Email: help@newsxpress.com.au or call Mark on 0418 321 338 or Michael on 0400 331 055.

P.S. We’re serious about the “no one size fits all” rule. When you call Mark or Michael, you won’t get a cookie-cutter sales presentation. You’ll get a real conversation about your specific shop, your local competition, and how we can personally help you put more money in the bank.

The retail landscape for newsagencies is undergoing a significant transition as we approach the end of 2025. Recent data shows that while traditional categories like newspapers and stationery are facing challenges, there is strong growth in areas that offer higher value and specialized interest. For example, greeting card sales have seen a notable increase, particularly when retailers focus on higher price point cards and seasonal offerings. This shift highlights a broader trend where businesses are moving away from high-volume, low-commission items toward products that drive a higher average transaction value.

Magazines are also showing unexpected resilience, with unit sales seeing a modest increase compared to the declines of previous years. This growth is most prominent in stores that carry a wide range of special interest titles, such as motoring, crosswords, and hobbyist publications. By focusing on these niche categories, newsagencies can achieve a better return on their shelf space, even if they choose to condense their overall magazine display.

Other standout performers in recent months include toys, books, and high-quality plush brands. Categories like toys and books have seen double-digit growth, indicating that customers are increasingly turning to their local newsagency for curated gifts and entertainment. Even though the total number of transactions across the industry has dipped slightly, the average value of each sale has risen significantly. This means that while fewer people may be walking through the door, those who do are spending more on items they find personally meaningful or useful.

For retailers, these trends provide a valuable benchmark for their own performance. Comparing your current sales data to the previous year can reveal whether your business is keeping pace with these industry shifts. If your growth in categories like cards or gifts isn’t meeting these averages, it may be time to reconsider your product range or how you are presenting those items to your customers.

The newsagency channel remains a vibrant part of the retail community for those willing to adapt. By moving beyond traditional expectations and embracing new product opportunities, you can set your business up for a successful year ahead. Whether you are looking at your data through the Tower Systems POS software or simply observing your daily sales, focusing on higher value transactions and specialized inventory is a practical path to long term profitability.