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The newsXpress community helps each other

A newsXpress member put out a call for a Collins Debden Colplan 51 Planner Diary for a customer a week ago in the hope that another newsXpress member might have one still in stock. Two days later they received the diary in the mail. The customer was thrilled to receive the diary and surprised at the extraordinary lengths newsXpress went to to find the right diary and get it to them.

newsXpress members often help each other in this way – reinforcing the value of being part of a community of colleagues.

Evolving the gift offer in the newsagency

newsXpress has been evolving its gift offer for some time. We are using store data to guide ranging advice and we are using our national footprint of 168 locations to negotiate competitive supplier terms. This month, we take another step in our evolution by hosting a group visit to a key gift wholesaler. Thirty members in one state will visit, preview product and organise a group buy. For half of the members involved this will be their first step into gifts outside of seasons such as Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day.

newsXpress is committed to helping its members evolve their gift offer. We do this by helping to analyse the business and understand local factors which need to be considered in assessing the gift range.

Michelle Caia is our gift specialist on our merchandise team. Her experience is proving invaluable to members stepping into this category for the first time. It provides newsXpress with an excellent point of difference and has delivered members with good success stories.

Transparency with newsXpress members

We have just completed a national tour of member meetings which included a discussion of revenue and expenses for newsXpress. The Board outlined our income sources including supplier rebates as well as how this money is spent. The presentation was followed by member questions about the group financials.

This transparency is important and reflects the commitment the Board gave at our National Conference late last year. There will be another finance report from the Board in a cycle of member meetings later this year.

Lucky newsXpress Wauchope

Customers at newsXpress Wauchope are enjoying great success with lotteries. They have had three big wins in three weeks: a $100,000 first prize in the $2.00 jackpot a $10,000.00 2nd prize in the $2.00 Jackpot and a Division 1 prize in Wednesday’s lottery game – winning $1 million. Thanks to these wins, the shop is buzzing!

In the meantime in prticipating newsXpress stores our newsXpress exclusive $20 million Saturday super draw syndicate tickets are selling!

newsXpress appoints National Merchandise Manager

newsXpress is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert Henderson to the role of National Merchandise Manager. Robert brings years of stationery supplier experience to this key role, most recently as National Sales & Marketing Manager for the Pentel Group. In this role, Robert directly managed national retailer accounts and managed the team which worked with newsagents.

“This appointment completes a planned and strategic extension of the merchandise strategy for our 168 member newsagency marketing group.” commented Graham Randall, Managing Director of newsXpress. “newsXpress is leading newsagents to a strong future.”

As National Merchandise Manager for newsXpress, Robert will be responsible for developing merchandise strategy, establishing new supplier relationships and enhancing existing arrangements.

“I look forward to bringing to newsXpress members excellent opportunities from the kinds of supplier relationships you deserve when you have a retail network of 168 proactive retail locations.” said Robert Henderson.

“Enhancing the strategic management of our merchandise offer has been in the planning since last year” said Ben Kay, General Manager of newsXpress Pty Ltd. “Robert will provide newsXpress and its members with strategy and offers which will excite the channel”.

Robert Henderson commences his new role with newsXpress mid May.

newsXpress has a merchandise team with expertise in stationery, calendars, gifts, electronic services and circulation product. This rounded representation ensures that the company provides its members with strategy which reflects the history of the channel yet is focused on the future.

PHOTO: Ben Kay, newsXpress General Manager left and Robert Henderson, new National Merchandise Manager right.

Perth newsXpress members meeting

Meeting with newsXpress members in Perth yesterday, newsXpress continued the theme of recent member meetings of business networking, discussing newsXpress product offers and working in marketing strategies. We are able to share experiences from a national perspective and thereby develop excellent opportunities beyond their four walls.

Uniball joins newsXpress as a preferred supplier

Respected pen supplier to newsagents Uniball has signed on as a preferred supplier for newsXpress stores. Uniball will bring to newsXpress members special offers, low every day pricing and other support which will help drive sales of their products. newsXpress will support the Uniball range with in-store range guidance and training in pursuit of excellent returns for our members and for Uniball.

Visual Merchandising drives Burkes Backyard sales

The team at our newsXpress Watergardens, Victoria, corporate store are enjoying considerable success from their stunning visual merchandising displays. This Burkes Backyard display in the photo makes good use of a column which otherwise looks like it is in the way. Renee and our team are talking with our customers and suppliers are creating displays which speak to our demographic. The real test is sales. Our magazine sales are going against the industry trend.

The display shows what good visual merchandising skills can achieve. newsXpress members, through their Business Development managers, share VM ideas and feedback.

That’s Life gives $1,000 to a newsXpress customer

Congratulations to the team at newsXpress Robina for being the location at which the That’s Life fairy competition was won this week.

A lucky customer at newsXpress Robina won $1,000 courtesy of That’s Life as part of their random acts of kindness promotion.

This is a terrific way for That’s Life magazine to engage with newsagents and with their readers. We are thrilled to have been part of such a happy giveaway this week.

That’s Life is a popular weekly magazine and is given pride of place in newsXpress stores across Australia when it goes on-sale each Wednesday.

Buying That’s Life at a newsXpress newsagency is rewarding thanks to our newsXpress Magazine Club Card – the card which rewards you for buying magazines from newsXpress outlets.

NSW newsXpress newsagents meet up

newsXpress members in NSW met at The Lakes Golf Club today to discuss business, marketing strategy, suppler relationships and to talk with representatives from ACP Magazines and Pacific Magazines. The meeting also provided and excellent forum for networking among this group of proactive newsagents.

newsXpress exclusive $20 million superdraw syndicates

Queensland newsXpress members are working together in promoting two syndicates for the $20 million superdraw in Saturday May 16. One syndicate offers a share in a System 20 ticket while the other offers a share in each of four system tickets. These two syndicates are being sold only in participating newsXpress locations. This is an excellent opportunity for newsXpress members to sell high value tickets without the risk of needing to completely fill a syndicate alone.

Win a Sony Cyber Shot Digital Camera

Buy Hallmark Mother’s Day card from a newsXpress newsagency and you could win a Sony Cyber Shot Digital Camera. You Hallmark Mother’s Day card purchase also supports breast cancer research thanks to Hallmark’s financial support of the National Breast Cancer Foundation. newsXpress members are proudly supporting the work of the NBCF by proactively promoting their pink ribbon campaign this Mother’s Day.

Available in-store 20th April – 10th May 2009, this promotion is an excellent local marketing initiative from the newsXpress / Hallmark Cards relationship. Each participating newsXpress store has been given a Sony digital camera valued at $229 to give away to one lucky customer.

The total value of the giveaway across the newsXpress group is in excess of $40,000. This could be the most valuable Mother’s Day giveaway in the newsagency channel this year.

newsXpress funds member participation in this digital camera promotion. Our newsXpress members have no additional cost, no marketing levy.

The Promoter is Hallmark Cards Australia Limited of 10 Caribbean Drive, Scoresby VIC, 3179. ABN 85 004 058 646.

NSW Permit No: LTPS/09/002604, ACT Permit No: TP 09/001062, SA Permit No:T09/657,

LTPS/09/002604 TP 09/001062T09/657,

Conference bookings now open

Click on the conference link, on the left side of the home page of the newsXpress website, and you can pre register for our 2009 National Newsagent Conference. This is one of the many interactive facilities available at the newsXpress website for consumers, newsagents and newsagent suppliers.

Through the website, newsXpress is demonstrating how to use online technology to cultivate new business and make existing business more efficient. Our view was that it was important we lead by example.

newsXpress newsagencies are leaders in their own communities and newsXpress is a leader among newsagency marketing and franchise groups. While anyone can claim this, it has been important to us to demonstrate this. Our new website is one way. Our conference is another. By introducing a direct link on our website to that of our conference organiser we are able to help prospective attendees register interest without time consuming paperwork and mailing.

Victorian member meeting a hit

We had a full house at our newsXpress Victorian member’s meeting yesterday. The excellent attendance was matched by excellent participation when we met as a whole group and when we broke into four smaller groups for the more intense business to business discussion.

As happened in Brisbane two days ago, members shared terrific business insights with each other, insights which are certain to result in excellent business developments.

Great things happen when you get proactive forward-thinking newsagents in a room together to talk about and work on their businesses. newsXpress corporately and individual members have to do lists which will significantly enhance business performance.

Mutual trust with newsagents

newsXpress does not believe in locking in members to long term contracts. This is why our members may leave at 30 days notice. We would rather newsagents stay with newsXpress because they want to and not because of an onerous contract. That we have grown five times our size in the four years since 2005 indicates we are doing something right.

We have seen situations where newsagents have been refused the right to leave a marketing / franchise group and have had to involve lawyers – with little success. No one wins from such a handcuff approach.

We prefer a friendlier and mutually supportive and trusting relationship. This is why newsXpress is committed to a 30 day notice period. It respects our member newsagents and keeps our mind focused on serving our members and not enforcing a contract.

newsXpress members work on business

The latest round of newsXpress member meetings started yesterday in Brisbane. A feature of the meetings is small group discussions on traditing conditions and business opportunities. In these smaller groups, members share persoanl experiences from their bsuinesses. Collaborating with colleagues like this opens newsXpress members to experiences and ideas which they may not have encountered had they remained in their businesses focused locally.

We set the discussion up with up to date performance numbers provided by key newsXpress suppliers. This provided a factual basis from which we were able to develop the discussion.

Facilitated networking such as the business discussion which opens the current round of member meeting is a key newsXpress difference. It demonstrates our commitment to helping our members expand their options and make more informed decisions.

With more than 160 members nationally, we are well situated to bring diverse experiences to the discussion table.

The photo shows one of the small groups from yesterday’s meeting.

Perth seminar promoting newsXpress

newsXpress is hosting a free introductory briefing in Perth for prospective newsXpress members on April 30 at 10am.

Any newsagent interested in achieving more from their business is most welcome to attend.

We will outline exclusive to newsXpress deals, exclusive to newsXpress business marketing initiatives and provide an excellent newsagent networking opportunity.

If you want to grow your newsagency then this session is for you.

Click here to download and print a copy of the flyer promoting this event.

Magazine loyalty program enhanced

newsXpress has enhanced its magazine loyalty program to leverage the strength of our 160 stores nationally engaging with this exceptional value magazine offer. The enhanced newsXpress magazine Club Card loylaty program focuses attention solely on the newsXpress brand.

New Magazine Club Card stocks are provided without cost to all newsXpress members.

Members will be further briefed on the changes to the Magazine Club Card at member meetings which start tomorrow in Brisbane.