Category: newsagency management

newsXpress Singleton Heights’ award honoured

647181.jpgThe Singleton Argus has a good story in the latest issue about newsXpress Singleton Heights being announced co-winner of the newsXpress Retailer of the Year Award at our National Conference in Melbourne last month.  In the article, Jarryd Moore, co-manager of the business, credited the team and explains what drives them evolve the business:

Our staff have been keeping up with the trends and without their willingness to embrace the new things we take on board, we could not deliver such a terrific customer service.

With such a large number of competitors, and not just newsagencies but other stationary suppliers, we have to maintain good prices and cater for everyone.

It’s about changing things up, introducing new things and trying things even if they sound a bit out there to begin with.

newsXpress presents many opportunities for members to drive better traffic and better margin in their businesses.  Those who embrace these opportunities are doing very well in building healthier businesses.  They show the newsXpress difference at work.

Photo credit: The Singleton Argus

Helping with buying a newsagency

newsXpress is helping several newsagency channel newcomers with buying a newsagency. Our help is in the form of providing background information on newsagencies, what to look for in buying a newsagency, key supplier contacts and access to resources to make taking over the business easier.

Thanks to a broad range of skills within our newsXpress team ranging from advice on shop leases, business management, structure and buying, we are able to help prospective newsagents make decisions which can save time and money on their entry to this channel.

Buying a newsagency for someone new to the business can be daunting.  The help from newsXpress can make that easier.  The best contact within newsXpress is you are looking to buy a newsagency is one of our Directors, Graham Randall (0419 711 153) or Mark Fletcher (0418 321 338).

The help we provide shows the newsXpress difference at work. It shows the value of a full service newsagency marketing and management support group – over a buying group.

A brighter future for newsagents

nx_conference_1.jpgnewsXpress is hosting a conference for all newsagents in Melbourne in October.  We are bringing in WORLD CLASS SPEAKERS who will present newsagents attending with practical immediate-benefit ideas as well as strategic, longer-term benefit, ideas.  There wiill be PRACTICAL WORKSHOPS and many opportunities for BRILLIANT NETWORKING.

The conference agenda pays particular attention to helping newsagents navigate to a bright future out of the considerable change we see today.  Speakers have been carefully selected to present opportunities which speak to newasgents.

Newsagents wanting to grow their businesses, network with proactive colleagues and connect with retail visionaries should consider attending this conference in Melbourne.  Click here for a copy of the promotional fax we are sending today.

Women’s Health Woman Newsagent of the Year

newsxpress_winner.jpgPictured are, from left, Jane McIllhatton, National Merchandising manager for Pacific Magazines, Debra Wachorn of newsXpress Leongatha and Felicity Percival, editor of Women’s Health magazine at the dinner last night in Sydney where Debra was announced Woman Newsagent of the Year.

Debra has every reason to look proud and happy at winning this award.  The business in which she is a partner is a credit to everyone involved.  That Debra balances her involvement with a busy family life is a credit to her.

This is the second year in a row that a newsXpress member has won this prestigious award.

Congratulations on Woman Newsagent of the Year

Congratulations to Debra Wachorn from newsXpress Leongatha on being named the Woman’s Health Woman Newsagent of the Year at the National Awards tonight at the Marriott Hotel in Sydney.  This award us recognition for the key role Debra plays as a partner in the vibrant and community-connected newsXpress Leongatha business.

The 2009 Women’s Health Woman Newsagent of the Year Award aims to:

  • promote awareness of the extraordinary contribution women make to the newsagency industry;
  • acknowledge the exceptional performance by female newsagency owners and managers; and
  • reward the efforts required to maintain the balance between business, personal and community success.

Developing newsagency management skills

nx_businessdevel_mtg.jpgnewsXpress has brought its Business Development Manager team together in Queensland this week for a two day workshop.  Part of yesterday’s agenda was to visit a newsXpress store and discuss practical issues and opportunities in the context of the newsXpress offer.  With six full-time Business Development Managers on the road and working exclusively on behalf of newsXpress members, workshops such as this are crucial to team development and consistency.

newsXpress is the only newsagency marketing and support group to offer regular in-store visits as part of the regular monthly member fee from what we are told.  The visits focus on helping the business owners and employees drive better commercial outcomes from their businesses and to derive greater enjoyment along the way.

Excellent supplier support for newsagent market fairs

newsXpress has announced the long list of suppliers participating in the newsXpress newsagent Market Fairs which start this week.  We have had to move location in one state because we could not accommodate the suppliers keen to be part of this important annual event.

A newsXpress exclusive, the Market Fairs provide an excellent opportunity for newsXpress members and suppliers to discuss exclusive and valuable deals, many of which are only available at the Market Fairs.

The breadth of range of products and the excellent value deals demonstrate another benefit of newsXpress membership. We are helping members expand their ranges and to do so in a smart and financially rewarding way.

Our mission is to make newsXpress newsagencies the most successful and sought after newsagencies in Australia.

The Market Fairs which start this week are proof of our commitment to pursuing this mission and helping our members across all categories of their businesses.

Our first Market Fair is Thursday June 11 in Melbourne.  42 newsagency suppliers are participating.

newsXpress Market Fair dates

Next month, newsXpress is hosting Market Fairs around the counter where our members get access to great specials from newsXpress preferred suppliers, receive briefings on a small selection of products and discuss new strategies and opportunities exclusive to newsXpress. These business building sessions are open to newsXpress mebers. Here are the details:

Melbourne 11 Jun 2009, 09:30AM, Flemington The Event Centre – Panorama Room 448 Epsom Road, Flemington

Perth 16 Jun 2009, 09:30AM, Citigate Perth Hotel, 707 Wellington Street, Perth

Sydney 18 Jun 2009, 09:30AM, The Lakes Golf Club, Cnr King Street and Vernon Avenue, Eastlakes

Brisbane 23 Jun 2009, 09:30AM, Brisbane Technology Park, 1 Clunies Ross Court, Eight Mile Plains

Bookings are available online at our website.  Access is free but bookings are essential.

Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all mums, especially newsagent family mums … mums who own, manage or work in newsagencies.  You all play an important role in our businesses, not just newsXpress businesses but all newsagencies, as you do in the role at home to family.  Like the family role, we often neglect to take the time to say, thanks mum – to our mums who own, manage and work in our businesses.

Thanks Mums!

Nia Kugel of newsXpress Lowwood reminded us of the important role mums and women play in newsagencies recently, speaking at our Brisbane member’s meeting.  Nia spoke from the heart about what being a newsagent and mum and wife means to her.  It was a reminder of the place of family, and mums, in our businesses.  Nia won Woman Newsagent of the Year last year.  This award is sponsored by Pacific Magazines and is an important award for women newsagents, and mums, to consider entering.

Mother’s Day is a good time to remind you of the award.  If you are a woman newsagent, consider entering. Click here for the Woman Newsagent of the Year entry form. It is open to all newsagents, not just newsXpress members.  We are proud to support this award.

Online survey for newsXpress members

Today, newsXpress is launching the first online newsXpress exclusive and member-only online survey.  By using smart web 2.0 tools we are able to gather crucial survey data from our members and have the results collated automatically aand available to guide our decision making and the decision making of our members.

This online, time-efficient, survey is another way newsXpress is embracing web tools to help us help our members make better quality business decisions.

Victorian member meeting a hit

nx_vic_mtg_apr09.JPGWe 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.

newsXpress members work on business

nx_member_meet_bne_apr09.jpgThe 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.

newsXpress launches 2009 national newsagent conference

newsXpress is proud to announce pre registration details for our national confercen for 2009. We are planning an exciting agenda packed with valuable learning and networking opportunities for newsagents and their staff from newsagencies of all size.

nx_conference.jpg

Watch for the pre registration link at our website.

newsXpress strategies drive growth

newsXpress is reviewing the performance of several newsagencies which joined our group in the last three months of 2008 and which have embraced newsXpress exclusive offers. The results are staggering.

In one store we are seeing an improvement in gross profit of 20% in the first three months of 2009. Most of this is from new categories we have introduced to the business.

Another new newsXpress member is reporting increasing gross profit from around $1,000 to close to $10,000 in a category they previously ran in the traditional way. Last year, newsXpress introduced new suppliers and significantly better margin – driving the reported improvement in profit contribution.

The key to achieving such excellent results is engagement. We have several key product category offers backed by management strategies which will be successful. The key message we repeat around these offers is trust the process. Those who do trust the process have more money in the bank as a result.

This is another example of the newsXpress difference. We are happy to share specific location details, with permission, with prospective newsXpress members.

Bonus round of members meetings scheduled

newsXpress has added another round of member meetings to the cycle planned for 2009. This is response to the excellent feedback from the round of member meetings just concluded. To be held in late April, this next round of member meetings will further develop our theme for 2009 of standards, introduce new and exclusive product offers for newsXpress newsagents and open for discussion business management initiatives.

newsXpress is committed to helping its members deep into the back room as well as in the body of the shop. This is why we include operational topics in our member meeting agendas, so that our members can talk with each other and learn about best practice in areas of their business.

newsXpress supports QNF conference

newsXpress has signed on as a Platinum sponsor of the QNF state conference to be held on March 24 this year. This is another example of newsXpress financially supporting events which help all newsagents access training and facilities for improving their businesses. Our financial commitment and active participation in the QNF conference is further evidence of our support for and with the newsagency channel.

Hot deals exclusively at newsXpress newsagencies

member_hot_deals.jpgAs the newsXpress brand has grown we have been receiving more pitches from suppliers with special deals for our members. Our new website has been further enhanced to provide a platform through which we can announce these deals to members for their rapid action. We have deals loaded already with more to be loaded over the next few days.

We will continue to email members about preferred supplier relationships, seasonal offers and new category offers.  The new website platform is for hot deals which are for a limited time – the types of deals you will want to place in a high traffic area of your newsagency to show that you have great deals like the big guys.

Only members will be able to access these newsXpress exclusive deals.

The team behind newsXpress

nx_team_jan28_09.jpgWe brought the newsXpress team together yesterday to discuss plans for 2009, standards around our brand and look at several soon to be released member offers.  From marketing to merchandise, newsagency business development to board level, the day was an excellent opportunity to continue to evolve the culture of newsXpress and remind ourselves of our commitment to deliver measureable value and rewards to the newsagents and newsagencies which we serve.

We have a skilled and committed team working for newsXpress from the front line through to back office processes.  This team is a tremendous point of difference for newsXpress and what it can achieve with member newsagents.

First newsXpress members meeting for 2009

nx_membermeet.jpgYesterday, Ben Kay, our National Merchandise Manager, hosted the first newsXpress members meeting for 2009. This was an online members meeting and covered a range of topics.  Since the meeting was online, newsXpress members logged in from their shops and homes – wherever was convenient.  We are hosting another meeting in the next two weeks.

These online member meetings are a great way for newsXpress members to connect with each other, hear about new deals, provide feedback, receive training and talk about business with fellow newsXpress members.

Access is free and part of newsXpress member services.