Gifts | newsXpress Blog

newsXpress stores winning with Melissa and Doug

The Melissa and Doug range of products is selling well in newsXpress stores.

Sourced through one of our preferred suppliers at a excellent pricing and backed by retail advice and support from the newsXpress team, the Melissa and Doug products are selling quickly when located in-store in a high-traffic location.

newsXpress stores continue to enjoy excellent success with leveraging respected brands like Melissa and Doug – attracting new shoppers as well as selling to existing shoppers.

This is a wonderful success story.

Smart visual merchandising drives tea sales

More newsXpress stores are reporting success with tea, especially when they follow the VM advice form our VM experts, placing tea products with gifts and inspirational messages. This connects the tea opportunity with gift shoppers who are in-store and it also connects tea with people passing by who have interests in the other products. Since tea is not a traditional newsagency line it’s important to engage in a range of ways to help newsXpress members to show customers the range and connect them with tea as a perfect gift for almost all ages.

Car in a Can a hit for newsXpress members

The Car In A Can product offer form newsXpress is selling very well across our retail network. This funky gift is proving to be an ideal Father’s Day gift as well as year-round.

Easily displayed, the Car In A Can product is selling well from feature displays in-store as well as at the sales counter – generating excellent revenue for newsXpress members.

newsXpress sources good product for members and it backs this with strategies and tactics that can be used by newsXpress members in-store to drive sales for the business.

newsXpress members flooding to Melbourne

newsXpress members have started gathering in Melbourne for the three important gift and homewares trade events in the city. Combined, the three events make for the biggest gift and homewares buying opportunity in Australia this year. While the main show in town is the Gift Fair (the biggest of its type in Australia), the Home and Giving Fair is a place where newsXpress members will see innovative products. The Life Instyle event has already proved worthwhile with products on show.

Melbourne Gift Fair group buying opportunity

newsXpress is helping members to more successfully engage with the Melbourne Gift Fair next month with networking opportunities, buying tours and other engagements whereby newsXpress members can leverage their participating in the group both in terms of prices paid and advice on new products.

By sharing insights early with members, newsXpress is helping them to plan for a successful engagement with the Melbourne Gift Fair this year. This is another way newsXpress is helping its members to make more money from gists and related products categories in-store.

newsXpress is also offering a service to do buying for members unable to get to the gift fair – a service for remote and time poor newsXpress members who don’t want to miss any special buying opportunity.

Tea offer helps newsXpress expand gifting opportunities

newsXpress last week launched a new range of tea and related products for members to promote in-store.

Enhancing the range of gifts on off to include tea has something newsXpress as been working on for months. This new supplier was selected for their range, eco friendly products and their flexibility in commercial arrangements for newsXpress members.

Supported with product insights into the tea shopper, the new range helps our members tap into the lucrative tea marketplace. These products will be bought by tea lovers and as gifts for tea lovers.

By partnering with a known and respected brand that is not saturated in retail and thanks to excellent buy negotiation we have setup a deal through which newsXpress members will do well while expanding the reach of their gift department.

This is an exciting opportunity for newsXpress members.

newsXpress members preparing for zombie fun

Two weeks ago, newsXpress members were presented an excellent range of zombi themed products. Our buying team had seen many of these at the Gift Fair in Hong Kong last month.

We knew these zombi themed products would be winner products because of the success of TV shows like The Walking Dead and the mega hit movies like WorldWar Z.

Thanks to relationships with our preferred suppliers, newsXpress taps into popular products that extend the reach of what is and sold in today’s modern newsagency. In pitching the products, which are optional for newsXpress members, we provide context to help members understand the opportunity.

The opportunity for the zombie products is for a themed range as well as adding them to the mix for key upcoming seasons.

This is the newsXpress difference, one pitched to members two weeks ago in our promotional communication.

Newsagency marketing group expands supplier portfolio

Newsagency marketing group newsXpress has continued to expand its preferred supplier portfolio in 2013 adding a range of new and valuable preferred suppliers.

One new supplier shared with newsXpress group members is brellerz, a supplier of high quality umbrellas. These quality products meet high standards and offer newsXpress members a good margin product they can be proud to sell.

Timed perfectly to be available in store for Winter, the brellerz range is a nice expansion to the newsXpress preferred supplier portfolio and demonstrates the continued expansion commitment from newsXpress to its members.

We now rarely mention new preferred suppliers here as some others chase them for their groups. If you want to know about newsXpress preferred suppliers contact us and we’ll share the good news with newsXpress members.

newsXpress leadership team at Hong Kong Gift Fair

newsXpress was well represented at the Hong Kong Gift Fair over the weekend and into this week. A group flew in especially for the trade show to meet with existing suppliers and to discover new opportunities.

With several successful exclusive products under our belt in 2012, 2013 is shaping up as an even better year for newsXpress members in the exclusive products space. That’s been a key focus of the work in Hong Kong over the last few days.

None of the products sourced are being sent to newsXpress members without permission. newsXpress members are presented products and get to choose what they take or don’t take. Sometimes, with limited stock available for a new release, the first movers really do get an advantage.

newsXpress will not announce details of products here. Rather, it shares that information with members on a confidential basis 0 to protect the benefits negotiated by our buying team. What we found in Hong Kong is exciting and presents excellent opportunities in line with the core product ranging values of newsXpress.

newsXpress members embrace exclusive Christmas product offer

newsXpress gave its members less than a week to place orders for an exclusive Christmas product opportunity. We have a tough minimum order quantity to reach and just a few days to do it.

Within the deadline, newsXpress members stepped up to the challenge. They overshot the minimum order quantity by 20%, locking in an excellent exclusive product for Christmas 2013. This is the first of what is expected to be a number of opt-in exclusive Christmas opportunities.

No newsXpress member is required to take stock – this is what makes it an opt-in opportunity. That so many have ordered so much speaks to the value of the opportunity.

We’re not detailing the product here as some love to copy us.

Think Fun products working well for newsXpress newsagency marketing group members

Check out the range of Think Fun educational and fun products selling well in newsXpress stores.

Bridging across the toy, gift and educational spaces, these new items make for a nice display on the shop floor.

Grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles are the shoppers for these items. They are an ideal purchase with a greeting card – adding significant value to the card purchase.

newsXpress sources products like this at excellent margin. It then shares advice and information to help our retail partners to turn the product opportunity into cash. No margin is good until you sell the product. there is where newsXpress helps – with advice, insights and support to turn stock so that newsXpress members can bank the results.

More gifts for older giving occasions from newsagency marketing group

Thanks to careful sourcing of preferred suppliers and working with them on various ranges, newsXpress members are enjoying access to more gifts for older giving occasions.

For birthdays, anniversaries, new home, farewell and other occasions for older folks, newsXpress members have access to easy to sell good margin products – products shoppers want but may not come in looking for. They are a wonderful and valuable basket extension.

The newsXpress preferred supplier suite provides access to a broad range of gifting opportunities. These opportunities are lved by members as they are able to serve situations unique to their business.

Here at newsXpress we are not a one size fits all newsagency marketing group.

newsXpress members enjoy AFL & NRL Beanie Kid success

Thanks to smart buying and front of store placement, newsXpress members are enjoying success with the AFL and NRL Beanie Kids stands. Placed next to each other creates a noticeable display often appealing to the same shopper.

Even in markets where one or the other of the high-profile codes is not the main code the beanie Kids are selling well. They are being purchased by collectors as well as others buying for family and friends who are fans.

The success of the AFL and NRL ranges speak to the power of the Beanie Kids brand at special interest times as well as their value at introducing people to Beanie Kid collection … they are wonderful opportunity for newsXpress members to educate shoppers to this collector opportunity.

Hong Kong Gift Fair buying trip opportunity for newsagency marketing group members

newsXpress is participating in the Hong Kong Gift Fair again this year and has opened participating to newsXpress members to join the buying delegation.

Tapping into relationships developed over recent years and considering emerging trends, this trade show is a mixture of business negotiation and opportunity sourcing.

newsXpress members benefited significantly from last year’s trip.

An invitation was extended to newsXpress members last week to join this year’s mission. In Hong Kong participants will see more than 4,000 trade show booths as well as enjoy an opportunity of meeting key Australian and overseas suppliers.

This trip also helps us help existing suppliers to understand what we like from their supplier portfolios.

Trip details will be finalised in the next two weeks.

newsXpress facilitates amazing gift fair experiences

newsXpress has hosted an excellent range of gift fair experiences for newsXpress members in Sydney this week.

From the massive gift fair at Darling Harbour to the excellent Home & Giving fair at Homebush and in between, newsXpress has had buying experts available for members – to help them make the most of the opportunity.

newsXpress merchandise experts have also been working with suppliers to negotiate new deals for newsXpress members and to bring new suppliers on board.

Over five days we have been singular in our focus – to strengthen commercial relationships that help newsXpress members make their businesses more financially successful and therefore more valuable.

Member feedback through the events has been excellent. We are all looking forward to banking the result.

Hallmark and newsXpress helping to improve child literacy

newsXpress and Hallmark are together promoting an excellent range of story books and story buddies across the newsXpress retail network.

Bigsby is one of the new release story book / story buddy products from Hallmark. Promoted nationally in our network, this terrific product is an excellent help to guide parents and children to enjoy reading. It helps kids enjoy reading and storytelling … setting them up for their more formal education.

newsXpress merchandise team delivers value for newsXpress members

The newsXpress merchandise team continues to expand category and segment product offers to newsXpress members.

From corporate store learnings to work in showrooms with suppliers, the merch team has expanded its work on behalf of members.

We create photos and supporting advice and documentation to help newsXpress members to make the most of the display opportunities and bring in-store professional displays and product offers and through these to drive commercial outcomes.

The photo shows one of a series of gift displays created for our newsXpress Southland corporate store.

Melting Snowman a sell out hit for Christmas

newsXpress members have achieved stunning results with this Melting Snowman product. The newsXpress advice has helped members to drive excellent basket building sales from the sales counter.

The success with this product is an excellent example of newsXpress members encouraging each other and getting supplier support to make the very most of the opportunity. talk about a win win.

newsXpress members share ideas all the time through private communication channels … ideas that help them make more money more often.

Klutz activity books at hit at newsXpress Inverloch

Check out the excellent range of Klutz activity books at newsXpress Inverloch. This Klutz range has been selling very well and providing the business with a terrific point of difference locally and in the broader area.

The success of Klutz is another example of the value of joining the newsXpress newsagency marketing group. We have been able to introduce members to new products, like Klutz, merchandise them well and through this get existing shoppers buying more and to attract new shoppers.

Our support of Klutz is another example of our support known brands around which we can build margin and repeat traffic.

Excellent gift offering at newsXpress Raine Square WA

newsXpress Raine Square in WA have an excellent gift range of the shop floor, leveraging newsXpress preferred suppliers along with some other suppliers in the mix.

This brand new newsXpress location is a wonderful ambassador for newsXpress representing well the brand and what we stand for.

Click on the image for a larger version.