newsXpress award winners

Congratulations to newsXpress retailer of the year award winners:

  • Plush retailer of the year: Eli Waters (QLD)
  • Gift retailer of the year: Halls Head (WA)
  • Card retailer of the year: Maryborough (VIC)
  • Ink retailer of the year: Inverloch (VIC)
  • Magazine retailer of the year: Knox (VIC)
  • National retailer of the year: Ocean Keys (WA).

newsXpress Ocean Keys wins a trip to New York to attend the National Retail Federation Big Show 2013 in January – the premier event for retailers worldwide presenting stunning innovation for retailers large and small.

newsXpress members drive traffic with nexus email campaigns

nxnexusemailThanks to excellent training from Pacific Magazines at our conference on the Gold Coast this week and encouragement from the newsXpress team, newsXpress members are better resourced than ever to send out marketing emails using the pacific funded nexus website. The latest emails went yesterday, driving traffic for engaged newsXpress members.

newsXpress assists members with sample text and other initiatives on building the email database as well as guiding content for marketing emails.

These emails drive sales.

Hallmark NRL card range on show at newsXpress national conference

nxhmknrlHallmark had a featured display stand at our national conference on the Gold Coast this week which included the Yankee candles range, their jewllery stand and their soon to launch range of NRL cards.

newsXpress members appreciated being able to see the new products, ask questions and generally become more familiar with the new lines being introduced.

The presentation from Emma Campbell, Strategic Marketing Manager at Hallmark Cards, provided us with context for these and other products Hallmark provides to newsXpress members.

newsXpress members appreciated the opportunity to connect with state and national Hallmark team members.

newsXpress members relax in style

nxcmooTwo dinners featured on the newsXpress conference menu this week with an opening dinner at Benihana at the Marriott and a closing dinner at MooMoo. The photo shows just some of the group who took over MooMoo enjoying delicious steaks and one or two refreshing drinks and a decadent dessert plate. The dinners were good times. We got a chance to socialise with friends and colleagues.

Magazine insights to help newsXpress members grow magazine sales

nxcrossiVicki Rossi, the Retail Rales and Circulation Director for Pacific Magazines was a featured speaker at our national conference this week, sharing valuable insights into magazine sales and discussing opportunities for newsXpress members to grow magazine sales. The session was backed up with a training breakfast hosted by Pacific the following morning at the Royal Pines resort on the Gold Coast.

Helping newsagents with lease advice and suggestions

nxcleasenewsXpress Director Graham Randall ran a popular training at the newsXpress workshop on the Gold Coast this week on retail leasing. Participants heard about lease pitfalls and got to discuss specific situation in a co-operative environment with Graham and their colleagues. The workshop was very popular. It shows newsXpress providing practical help to members long after they joined the group.

Newsagency group member training on good margin product and service

nxetbAt the newsXpress national conference on the Gold Coast throughout the day members were able to engage in training for a new product service offering being promoted by newsXpress. The training provided a behind the scenes look at how to make an excellent margin product that will drive new traffic and facilitate cross over sales in other product categories.

newsXpress hosts cash-flow workshop

nxcashflowThe newsXpress conference on the Gold Coast yesterday featured a workshop on cash flow hosted by a CPA and a Financial Controller.  This workshop outlined cash flow processes and planning techniques to help newsXpress members run stronger businesses.

Run twice through the course of the conference this workshop was vary popular – delivering to newsXpress members professional quality financial planning skills that will help them run more valuable businesses.

newsXpress shows off marketing collateral at GNS trade shows

nxcollateralnewsXpress has been showing off some 2013 / early 2014 marketing collateral at the GNS Market Fairs. This collateral, A1 double sided, is sent in landscape and portrait format for members to connect with seasonal and other marketing opportunities.

Developed exclusively for newsXpress, this collateral helps our members tell engaging retail stories.

newsXpress appoints National Sales Manager

newsXpress is thrilled to announce that Peter Francis is joining our team as National Sales Manager of newsXpress from today.

Formerly National Sales Manager with For Arts Sake and prior to that with John Sands, Peter brings to this senior management role at newsXpress excellent newsagency rooftop acquisition experience along with an energy and positivity for the future of newsagencies from which we are certain to benefit.

Working from a Sydney base and reporting direct to the Directors of newsXpress, Peter’s remit is to bring on newsXpress members nationally.

Coinciding with the recruitment of Peter Francis to this role newsXpress is undertaking a series of marketing initiatives to introduce our enhanced model to the newsagency channel. We will share details of a series of marketing events and fresh marketing literature in the coming weeks.

There won’t be a newsagent in Australia who has not heard from newsXpress at least four times between now and mid October. Each communication will of itself potentially add value to newsagency businesses – we are showing off our point of difference in a practical way.

The ideal newsXpress member is a newsagent keen to grow their business beyond the traditional to a model of strong gross profit and best-practice operational efficiency … and to do this while helping all involved in the business to enjoy it more.

Please join with us in making Peter Francis welcome to the newsXpress family and help him to unlock for newsXpress member growth as we grow our own way.

20 questions newsagents need answered before signing to join or renew with a newsagency marketing or franchise group

Not all newsagency franchise / marketing groups are the same. The devil, as they say, can be in the detail – detail often embedded in a long contract you may not read. Here are 20 questions we think you need to ask at the very least BEFORE you sign a contract or sign to renew a contract.

  1. Will I be forced to take any product? If so, what product and when? What does your contract say?
  2. Is product sent that I do not directly order? If so, please list product sent in the last year.
  3. Can I sell my business when I choose to anyone I want without giving you first right of refusal or having to tell you in advance? What does your contract say?
  4. Can I buy products from any supplier or MUST I purchase through suppliers you approve? What specifically does your contract say?
  5. In terms of your preferred suppliers, do they mark-up product before they give members of your group a discount or is the discount off the wholesale price other newsagents pay?
  6. Please list for me all newsagencies trading under your name that have closed or gone broke in the last two years.
  7. Do you offer an in-store business advisory service? If so, how often and how long are the visits and what is the experience of the person making the visit?
  8. Do you support the newsagency owned GNS for stationery supply? If not, which organisation do you support for stationery and why?
  9. Do you offer a lease negotiation service? If so, is there any extra cost for this? Also, is the lease in my business name without reference to your business at all?
  10. Am I forced to use a particular newsagency software program? If so, what guarantee is there that I get this at preferential pricing, better than if I bought it by myself?
  11. Who owns your group?
  12. Can I contact the owners of your group at any time with any issue at all?
  13. What guarantee do you have that you will not allow another newsagency to join near my business? Is this in writing?
  14. Can I join another group when the contract ends or do I need to wait for some time?
  15. Must I use a central billing service to get supplier discounts or rebates or can I control my own cash-flow?
  16. What happens if my business closes – am I liable for franchise fees?
  17. Do I have to supply you with my sales figures and if so what do you do with this?
  18. Do I have to attend your conference and if so what is the cost?
  19. What is the total cost of joining the group?
  20. What is the full monthly cost of being part of the group?

Newsagents urged to due diligence before joining a newsagency marketing group

A newsagent recently approached newsXpress for help on discovering that the newsagency marketing group they had joined had first right of refusal to buy their business. This other group, no newsXpress, has it in their contract that they have the first right to buy out the business should the owner want to sell. This makes selling then business difficult as it has to be navigated should another party express interest in purchasing the business.

Our view is that such a position  in the newsagency franchise agreement benefits the franchisor as ti is a barrier to the sale of the business and seems to lock the business into the franchise regardless of what purchaser / vendor may want. This could hurt the return a newsagent gets for the sale of their business.

Newsagencies are small businesses. The owners need the freedom to sell their businesses when they want and to parties they want. Other parties, like franchise groups, getting in the way of the sale process risk diluting the value achieved for the sale of a business.

This is another reason newsagents need to carefully look at the franchise agreements before they sign them.

Exclusive import products for newsXpress members

newsXpress has announced details of several exclusive import product opportunities for newsXpress group members.

Available for pre order, these products offer newsXpress members a valuable and exclusive product mix point of difference. This is achieved by group buying among newsXpress members only.

These exclusive import products are an opt in opportunity – newsXpress members choose whether they participate. They also set the selling price appropriate to their stores and thereby control margin.

newsXpress continues GNS Market Fair tradition

nxphmkgnsperNewsagency marketing group newsXpress yesterday continued years of tradition and newsagent support with a strong and professional presence at the GNS Market fair in Perth.

Visitors to the stand were greeting with the newsXpress pitch, a point of difference among newsagency marketing groups – business marketing and management strategies that have for years been used successful by newsagents to build healthier and more successful newsagencies.

The newsXpress stand at the newsagent trade show also featured wonderful innovation from newsXpress strategic partner Hallmark.

For years newsXpress and Newspower were the only newsagency marketing groups supporting the GNS Market Fairs.

Busy weekend for newsagency marketing group newsXpress at Melbourne Gift Fair

newsXpress team members have a busy weekend in melbourne this weekend working the floors of the Gift Fair and the Home & Giving Fair in Melbourne. They’re meeting with existing suppliers and discussing opportunities with possible new suppliers.

Our team members are also guiding some newsXpress members around the fair to introduce them to gift and homewares opportunities.

Those newsXpress members who are unable to get to the fair are seeing product opportunities through a confidential and closed technology feed we have established for them.

Newsagency marketing group newsXpress encourages Australians to warm up Winter

nxinstaugnewsXpress last week provided members with the August IN STORE customer newsletter. The August newsletter is all about sharing warmth using the latest card ranges from Hallmark cards – like the range featuring photos by Australian Bruce Postle.

The newsletter is not your usual marketing blurb from a retailer. No, this newsletter, like all our IN STORE newsletters in 2013, weaves a narrative of newsXpress as encourage people to express themselves either directly or using products we offer in store.

The newsletter series this year shows newsXpress as connecting with retailers in a practical and useful way newsXpress members appreciate.

newsXpress maryborough wins Hallmark Alliance Retailer of the Year

newsXpress Maryborough in Victoria has taken out the prestigious Hallmark Alliance Retailer of the Year Award.  This is a well-deserved win for an excellent retail business run to the highest standards in Maryborough.

Ross and Cheryle Forster run an excellent business at newsXpress Maryborough. They plan carefully, assess their business data and make strategic decisions to grow the business.  They robustly engage with newsXpress too, embracing new product opportunities.

In the last year they have implemented the Hallmark NCRE strategy with excellent success.

Congratulations to Ross, Cheryle and the team at newsXpress Maryborough.

Newsagency marketing group newsXpress offers more regional member meetings

Newsagency marketing group newsXpress continues to reach out to members with local area cluster meetings, offering members opportunities to connect with each other and newsXpress team members.

These business building sessions are unique to newsXpress and loved by members. The focus of each meeting is about business growth.

Here are the details of the next round of cluster meetings for newsXpress members:

  1. Regional Victoria, Monday 22nd July, Bridges on Argyle, 84/90 Argyle St, Traralgon, Vic / 12.00pm-3.00pm / Light Lunch provided.
  2. Melbourne Metro , Tuesday 23rd July, Hinkler Books Showroom, 45/55 Fairchild St, Heatherton, Vic / 10.00am -2.00pm / Lunch and showroom viewing included.
  3. Sydney Metro, Wednesday 24th July, Boonie Doon Golf Club, Banks Ave, Pagewood / 10.00am-1.00pm / Morning Tea provided.
  4. Brisbane Metro, Monday 29th July, TBA / 10.00am – 1.00pm / Morning Tea provided.
  5. Newcastle, Wednesday 31st July, Travelodge Newcastle Crn king & Steel Streets / 9.00am – 12.pm / Morning Tea provided.
  6. Perth, Monday 12th August, Country Comfort Inn, 249 – 263 Great Eastern Highway, Belmont / 11.00am – 2.00pm / Light Lunch provided.
  7. Victoria / South Australia Friday 16th August- TBA / 10.00am – 1.00pm /Light Lunch provided.

Newsagency marketing group newsXpress expands supplier product offers

Newsagency marketing group newsXpress has expanded the products on offer to members with the launching of new suppliers and product offers as a terrific kick off to the new financial year.

Helping members to reach into new product categories that connect well with existing shopper interests and habits is a good way of extending the shopping basket and delivering to group members valuable opportunities for them to consider.

None of the new products or suppliers are mandatory, newsXpress members can choose the products that best serve their local business situation.

newsXpress has shared details of the new products and suppliers via private and confidential communication with members.

newsXpress members enjoying Despicable Me 2 sales

dm2newsXpress members who jumped on the Despicable Me 2 official merchandise product have had a terrific sales run.

Offered through one of our preferred suppliers, the Despicable Me 2 range has been terrific at generating traffic and driving more efficient sales for engaged stores.

This is another international brand promoted by newsXpress and made available through a valuable preferred supplier relationship – showing the value for newsXpress members from these relationships and from the expert advice available through newsXpress for its members.

The photo shows one store thin on stock just two days after putting out way more stock. A great success!