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

new moon merchandise a hit for newsXpress members

twilight_poster.jpgnewsXpress members have reported excellent sales from the new moon merchandise we sourced last year.

Between October and December, newsXpress was responsible for excellent sales across our network of the new moon board game, posters, calendars, jewellery and other items.

In many newsXpress locations, the presence of new moon product in-store drove new traffic.  This additional traffic purchased other items and thereby drove better basket efficiency.

The newsXpress new moon strategy has been a terrific success in that it has shown participating stores that we can expand into new product categories in a safe and profitable way and bring in new customers at the same time.

The success is a credit to the newsXpress merchandise team and especially those who identified this opportunity exclusively for newsXpress.

Visiting the chocolate factory

The next newsXpress Victorian members meeting (February 18 at 10am) will be held at the factory of Ernest Hillier in Coburg.  The meeting will be followed by a factory tour and a chocolate tasting or two.

newsXpress is hosting mnor member meetings at preferred supplier locations to provide opportunities for product training (and chocolate tastings).

newsXpress member survey

newsXpress announced a member survey earlier this week and already responses are flowing in.  The survey is designed to provide our back office team with helpful feedback with which to assess the various components of the newsXpress offering including product mix and marketing collateral.

The results of the survey will feature at the first round of member meetings this year.

Responses for the survey are required by the close of business next Tuesday.  We are keen for every newsXpress member to participate.

First round of 2010 member meetings announced

newsXpress yesterday announced dates for the first round of member meetings for 2010.

  • NSW Members Meeting : Tuesday February 16th 10am
  • VIC Members Meeting : Thursday February 18th 10am
  • QLD Members Meeting : Tuesday February 23rd 10am
  • WA Members Meeting : Thursday February 25th 10am

Bookings can be made electronically via our website: go to Contact Us and select Member Meetings. In addition to booking electronically, you can also add a reminder to your Microsoft Outlook calendar.

Non newsXpress members are welcome to seek an invitation.  Please make contact with Ben Kay, our General Manager.

Success with newsXpress calendar strategy

The success achieved by newsXpress members participating in our exclusive caledar strategy this season is excellent.  We are seeing good growth in locations well established with calendars and excellent sales in locations trading in our calendar space for the first time.

The newsXpress strategy delivers calendars with considerably better margin and backed by a marketing campaign which drives traffic and sales.

Core to our calendar strategy is the use of sales data from other departments in store to guide range selection.  Our in-house calendar specialist has used this data to help new locations create a whole new, and highly profitable, department for their business.  We know from experience that each year improves – you can bank on the results.

Exclusive product offer from newsXpress

newsXpress is starting 2010 with an exclusive product offer from a key supplier.  This offer provides newsXpress members with high-quality good-margin product backed by a respected brand name.  The new products fit into a new niche for our channel and thus leverage an excellent opportunity to improve shopper efficiency.

newsXpress has been working with the supplier for most of 2009 on new traffic generating opportunities.  The product announcement on New Year’s Eve is the first initiative from this work.

This is the newsXpress commitment in action: new traffic, new money, brand focused and margin growing.

Back to School at newsXpress

Now that Christmas and New Year are over, many newsXpress locations are busy today creating excellent displays in support of their Back to School campaign.  We support the GNS Back to School campaign and supplement this with our own (GNS supported) newsXpress exclusive Back to School campaign.

Across both campaigns, newsXpress locations are set to enjoy tremendous success from Back to School 2010.  The brochures delivered to hundreds of thousands of homes and the excellent product deals will drive excellent traffic.

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.