The article posted here discusses results of a study that examined successful strategies and tactics used by businesses in smaller communities to compete against major discount chains. The majors are happy to take your business. If you want you can take it back! Read the article via the attached link.
It is interesting to see the lack of strategy in the Newsagency channel. Remember the good old milk bar? There used to be thousands of them and we all used to be a patron and a customer. What has happened to them? Well due to a lack of organisation, poor marketing strategy and communication, sadly they are all but extinct replaced by more modern robust retailers who engage with their customer not just relying customer service but with positional and promotional marketing, communicating their offer.
If your Newsagency is turning into a $2 shop or relying just on predictable stationery promotions advertising unknown house brands. Is your group leadership team providing you with blue ocean strategy or just making you compete in red oceans? If you are competing in red oceans you need to question your groups and your own business direction. Have a good look at what the competition is doing to your business. National brands are the key to our channels future as well as having the tools and know how to compete.
At a recent ANF
The three other ways in which a retailer can win are in its Triangle Activities – Systems, Suppliers and Logistics – aspects of the retailer usually not seen by the customer but underscoring everything that the retailer offers. These activities provide profit opportunities, and are sometimes even promoted as distinguishing features of the retailer.
http://www.buseco.monash.edu.au/centres/acrs/prospectus/pdf/2008brochure.pdf
Since joining newsXpress the team at newsXpress Bairnsdale have seen huge growth in sales and foot traffic. They had always stocked ink and toner and also marketed it through another group, however, since adopting HOT ink!, and all the other newsXpress strategies not only has basket size increased, but customers are commenting, “we didn’t know you sold ink cartridges”, yet they’ve had them in stock for over two years.
Its amazing what a great brand like newsXpress and sub branding like HOT ink! and communicating your offer via well though out advertising can do for your business.
newsXpress Lowood have come up with an innovative idea to stimulate sales of their Lotto Syndicates. The recent OZ Lotto Draw saw them set up each Syndicate as a System 11 with 21 shares available, each share costing $11.22.
For each Lotto draw the store sets up at least six Syndicates and have begun promoting a ‘6-Pack’ sale. The intrigued customers are then offered a share in six System 11’s at a cost of $67.32.
Calling it a six pack has really got a great sales punch. and Lowood Team Members have now moved on to selling multiple six packs where they sell a six pack for each night.
Sales thus far have been extraordinary and the team have greatly enjoyed making and decorating the store with some simple marketing materials.
The newsXpress exclusive Care & Friendship promotional event launched at newsXpress Indooroopilly yesterday.
With the exclusive backing of the Hallmark Alliance Program the promotion is certain to generate excitement in stores. Each newsXpress received sensational Marketing Materials centred around the competition to win a giant 36″ Forever Friends Bear.
For the launch Hallmark representatives assisted newsXpress Indooroopilly team members to create a spectacle with Balloon and other prize give aways, the always popular Forever Friends Bear making regular appearances, a Kodak Photo Docking station (to have your picture taken with the furry friend), and a colouring competition for the little ones.
Care & Friendship Day will be celebrated on Sunday, July 27th so get down to your nearest newsXpress store and purchase any two Forever Friends or Wellington Bear branded products to be in the running to take home one of the Giant Bears.
The popular SBS Jeremy Clarkson vehicle (pun intended) launched as a magazine in Australia today with many newsXpress stores getting in on the act. Sales so far have been very strong and hopefully will find a long term market once the local production hits the airwaves later this year.
newsXpress Indooroopilly created a typically impressive display utliising the supplied POS aswell as some very apt props.
newsXpress Glendale maximised the shows appeal as a drawcard by setting up a TV screen with episodes showing as part of their Top Gear display. They predict they will run out of supply by tomorrow.
newsXpress Sarina got into the rev head spirit borrowing an FPV GT from Powerhouse Ford in Mackay for the Top Gear launch. Several customers were spotted taking photos and wanting to take the car for a spin around town!
Scott & Cassie from newsXpress Toowong proudly stand before the display that has generated over 40 sales in just two days.
Another great outcome from the most recent newsXpress Market Fair held in Melbourne was the opportunity for proprietors and other newsXpressers to meet with supply partners.
This face to face interaction is often taken for granted, but with a great number of our newsagents being located in regional areas this benefit is proving invaluable.
The Hallmark display complete with exclusive newsXpress Alliance promotion Care & Friendship POS.
Robyn, Neil & Leonie from newsXpress Whittlesea are impressed with the great range of plush products from Jasnor
Janine & Jason from newsXpress Shoreline in deep discussion with Marilyn& Dean from Diddl.
Phil Johnson from newsXpress Keysborough and Tim Batt from Tower Systems go through the finer points of the programs operation.
Jim O’Toole and his daughter Ainslie from newsXpress Rutherglen spend a few minutes catching up with newsXpress Chairman Graham Randall and Ashley Horne from Canson.
Yesterday we held our very first newsXpress market fair at Castle Hill RSL in Sydney’s North/Western suburbs. It would be fair to say we did not know what to expect.
We invited 25 supply partners and service providers in line with newsXpress‘ long term goal of streamlining its supply chain to drive increased margins and eliminate unnecessary costs for its members and supply partners. What was planned to be a low key affair turned into something special with a wide cross section of national brand suppliers and service providers being involved.
newsXpress wanted it to be a low cost event so that suppliers could concentrate on delivering for the members. A number of suppliers commented on how inexpensive this fair was to attend in comparison to others. By developing long term supply partnerships everyone benefits.
Next week we do it all again in Melbourne & Brisbane and then the following week in Perth as we want to make sure every store in our network can benefit.
Proud: newsXpress Castle Towers proprietor Geoff Hilder and newsXpress Chairman Graham Randall
Networking: newsXpress CEO Mark Nagy, Nici Wceszniak & Shirley from newsXpress Castle Towers
Purchase Opportunity: Vinay Soni, proprietor of newsXpress Roselands buying books from Ross Morris of Australian Book Wholesalers (ABW)
Pens, Glorious Pens: Terry & Rosalie from newsXpress Northgate perusing the Pentel exhibit
Say it with a card: Maureen & Paul Blunden, newsXpress Orange talking Christmas Card orders with Lynn Mason from Cardpac
Art made easy: newsXpress Wagga Wagga proprietors, Dean Sutherland (left) & Troy Sutherland (far right) with Ashley Horne from Canson
Ecstatic: A very happy Phil Banks from newsXpress Glendale mills around the 3M display
Intimate: A wide shot of the interaction between suppliers and members at Castle Hill RSL for the Sydney Market Fair
Atmosphere: With over 25 suppliers and 40 newsXpress representatives in attendance the fair was a hive of activity for the four hour duration.
Hallmark Alliance: Nici, Geoff, Shirley (newsXpress Castle Towers), Graeme Baker (newsXpress McArthur), with Julie-Anne and Christine from Hallmark
Smile for the camera: Vinay (newsXpress Roselands) & Hallmark ladies Julie-Anne & Christine
Bright, bold, beautiful: Karen Sutton & the crew from newsXpress Singleton Heights listening to a presentation from hiPP
Gifts for everyone: newsXpressers Ben Kay & Lesley Bortfield enjoying the fair alongside Scott & Steven Brooker from Care and Share
Work & Play: Anthony & Nicky McCormack of newsXpress Woden with their Pentel representative
Rollerboy: Sandy Burke of newsXpress Wauchope, with a senior team member discussing stationery requirements with Pentel’s Rob Henderson
All the fun of the fair: Paul Waite & Karen Sutton
Going well: Graham Randall & Ben Kay
Catch Up: Roger & Lesley Bortfield, newsXpress NSW/ACT/NT Business Development Managers spending some time with their QLD/WA counterpart Karen Sutton
Worth the wait: Maureen Blunden from newsXpress Orange & Karen Sutton
newsXpress has announced it will be holding its inaugural national conference at Conrad’s Jupiter’s on the Gold Coast starting on the 17th September.
The proprietors have been asking for a couple of years now, so in keeping with only having the best people possible working with newsXpress, Paul Waite has agreed to join the newsXpress team to look after the conference. Paul is well known in the industry as a former CEO of the ANF and NANA and has exceptional skills in event management.
Paul’s brief is to put together something different drawing on his experience and using his knowledge to build not only an event that is relevant, but to focus on the development of newsagents to retailers. Paul can be contacted at paulw@newsxpress.com.au
One from the archives – newsXpress Albany opened in Western Australia in December 2006, building their ‘Gala Event’ from the newsXpress store opening template.
A simple but very effective store opening was organised by the team at newsXpress Albany…Hamish arranged to have an Outside broadcast with the local Radio West station and effective advertising in the local Newspaper…
The first 500 customers all received a newsXpress Red environmental bag filled with goodies from industry suppliers…and free balloons were also handed out to all, while the Hallmark Forever Friends Bear was also a great crowd puller as always!!!!
Annette & Bill Sym from ‘Symply Too Good To Be True‘ have always been great supporters of newsXpress, and the newsXpress network continues to sell a huge amount of the ‘Symply Too Good To Be True’ range as a result.
The team at newsXpress Glendale have chosen to connect with the local community by sponsoring a local sporting team, it shows that the store is putting back into the community that supports the store.
In evolving the newsXpress offer, the team at newsXpress Jamison in the ACT have chosen to provide space for newspapers in a part of the store that is not a traditional spot for newspapers.
Tradition is good but selling space is configured to what drives profit, in this case newspapers have made way for new money revenue drivers and have been located in sub prime space, not at the front of the store as in traditional shop fits.
It’s the simple things that sells product. A DVD/TV showing the product. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to be a great retailer. newsXpress Browns Plains sell a mountain of Dora DVD’s.
The Canson partnership is working a treat. No matter the type of store, the demographic or the proprietor, the Canson product with it’s great quality, price and brand is selling like crazy.
Consistency through the newsXpress network and great supplier support is ensuring Canson and newsXpress are reaping the rewards.
The following photos are from newsXpress Westpoint one of over 70 stores who have already installed the exclusive Canson Creative Centre.
When you are at the top of your game, how do you keep getting better?
These three stores just get better and better – Amazing. In Japan the word Kaizen means continuous improvement. Well the team at newsXpress Indooroopilly show you how the Kaizen Blitz works and how to bring the extraordinary benefits of this approach to continually improve what already is a stunning operation.
The team at newsXpress Toowong has a great General by the name of Scott. He is a visionary as well as a completer-finisher. The store is perpetual motion allowing the owner Paul to work on the business not in it. The photos say it all.
State of origin is only but one of the promotions on at the moment, with HOT ink! 6 churning and burning and financial year diaries also in play, all parts of the store are working.
The team at newsXpress The Gap are quiet achievers, low maintenance and get the job done! Rob and Matt and the team work all parts of the store and are the model of consistency. Incremental growth always adding a new string to the bow and growing nicely as a result.
newsXpress Bairnsdale proprietors Dave and Gina have firmly embraced HOT ink! since joining our network. Prior to their introduction to newsXpress, they ran with another Ink group, enjoying reasonable success, but since introducing HOT ink! their results have been phenomenal.
They gleefully accepted advice to install their range in the front window and subsequently cleared the formerly cluttered windows to realy highlight the stock. There is still some work ot do but the transformation has been amazing. The display will be completed by the use of the square modules for additional promotional stock.
The highlight of their endeavors so far however is undoubtedly the massive window signage – boldly proclaiming HOT ink! The signs were created locally but are definitely the brainchild of Dave and Gina. The signs are made of the same material as ‘L’ and ‘P’ plates used in motor vehicles and was easily installed by Dave and Victorian State Business Manager, Ian Urquhart in under 10 minutes.
The effect of this commitment to their ink category has been felt almost immediately with several customers over heard musing they didn’t even know the store sold ink despite it being a permanent fixture for over two years. The new lease of life and especially the signage will ensure this mistake won’t be made again!
The newsXpress Bairnsdale window before HOT ink!
newsXpress Beechworth was launched on Saturday and left the locals and tourists understanding that small business can make a difference.
Tracy and Ian McVea set up the promotional day with 2 goals:
1. Highlight the newsXpress magazine Loyalty Card offer and grow magazine sales, &
2. Being only 30 minutes drive to a major regional centre, highlight the local offer.
And what a success they made of it…
Magazine sales up over 120% on the day compared to last Saturday. Over 200 magazine Loyalty Cards distributed in a town of only 1840!
Strong acceptance of the HOT ink! offering with even city visitors asking why prices were so good.
Also in attendance on the day was ‘Sparky the Clown’ – what he can do with balloons is amazing! Sparky spent several hours entertaining the big kids with balloon shaping and the little ones with colouring competitions.
newsXpress Beechworth certainly made some noise in Victoria’s premier heritage town in the North East on Saturday.
