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Full-house at NSW members meeting

Our full-house NSW members meeting yesterday was a busy few hours. Taking the form of an open forum, newsXpress members, prospective members and our team reviewed recent marketing and discussed plans for Easter, Calendars, Diaries and our next Ink promotion. Over several hours including a working lunch we also discussed several newsXpress initiated innovations which aim to leverage our success into better commercial outcomes for our members.

Discipline was at the heart of this round of member meetings. newsXpress is committed to helping its members achieve greater unity around a common goal and this starts with our businesses looking, feeling and acting great.

Member meetings like yesterday in Sydney are a key opportunity for members to share stories as well as influence the direction we take as a group.

With a strong representation of the newsXpress brand in NSW/ACT, we are poised to move from being seen as another brand of newsagency to being newsXpress and standing for all that makes up the value of the newsXpress brand.

Exclusive magazine offer at newsXpress

newsXpress members are participating in an exclusive offer of Alpha and Australian Football Weekly for a combined price of $5. Specially printed collateral, including header cards and posters, has been provided to newsXpress stores for use in supporting the promotion.

newsXpress negotiates exclusive magazine title based offers as well as exclusive strategic relationships for members. Our marketing and merchandise teams welcome opportunities to work with other publishers to develop mutually beneficial outcomes.

Working the Sydney Gift Fair

newsXpress members and staff got together last night at the Watershed Hotel for drinks and a debrief about the first two days of the Reed Sydney Gift Fair. This was one of several events in Sydney this week scheduled to coincide with the fair. We recognise that time away from the shop is challenging to achieve so we have sought to make the most of this and help our members leverage more beneficial outcomes.

At the drinks last night members from four states got to trade stories. It is this type of networking which is a key value of newsXpress. Beyond talking about products seen at the Fair, there was good discussion about business.

newsXpress members are like family with each other – last night was like a good family catch up.

Excellent Easter range for newsXpress newsagents

newsXpress has sourced a broad range of Easter from several suppliers. From chocolate to soft toys to gifts and religious items, we have presented a broad selection of Easter gift items. Our members are able to select the smallest range of Easter gifts through to a large display. They can buy individual items or pre selected packs – an efficient way to buy. Like other seasons, newsXpress aims to help members to achieve excellent results this Easter.

The right marketing group for your newsagency

Our How to choose a marketing group for your newsagency paper has been updated. We have received excellent feedback from the first version off this document and this has encouraged us to develop this new version. The opening paragraphs position the purpose of the document:

Supanews, Nextra, The Lucky Charm, Newspower and newsXpress are the five marketing and or buying groups for newsagents in Australia at the time of writing this report. Each of these groups is different, even more so that they themselves might have you believe.

The differences between newsagency marketing groups are not as evident as they could be, making the choice challenging for newsagents contemplating joining a marketing group.

Too often, newsagents find out why a marketing group is not for them once they have signed an agreement and are locked in for years without any way out.

newsXpress member meetings

newsXpress is about to host its first round of member meetings. These are in addition to online member meetings and training sessions, in-store meetings with our Business Development Managers and our cluster (regional) meetings.

At this round of member meetings we will outline more exclusive stationery deals, discuss national standards and discuss other initiatives of newsXpress.

Sydney: Tuesday February 24, 10am, The Lakes Golf Club, Banksia Room, King Street, Eastlakes. Followed by lunch for those who can join us.
Brisbane: Wednesday February 25, 1:30pm, Brisbane Technology Park – West Auditorium of BTP Technology and Conference Centre, 1 Clunies Ross Court (Off Miles Platting Road), Eight Mile Plains. Preceded by lunch for those who can join us.
Melbourne: Thursday February 26, 10am, Malvern Valley Golf and Reception Centre, Silk Room, Golfers Drive, Malvern East. Followed by lunch for those who can join us.
Perth: Tuesday March 3, 10am. WA Lotteries office.

If you are considering joining a proactive marketing group to drive your business please make contact with us to enquire about attending one of our meetings. newsXpress members can sign up using the online booking facility at our website.

Great ink and toner deals from newsXpress

newsXpress has demonstrated again to its 160 member newsagents the value of membership of the newsagency marketing group. In addition to putting together an excellent new Hot Ink offer of branded ink at very competitive prices and backing thie with a national flyer campaign, we have also provided participating members with professional shelf talkers – just the one in the photo for the popular Canon BCI-3 ink. These shelf talkers promote hero products from HP, Canon, Epson and Brother. They show us off as having brand name products at excellent prices.

In addition to professional in-store collateral, newsXpress members have access to exclusive pricing, national marketing, ranging advice and assistance,branding and professional online marketing. Access to all of these business building resources is provided to newsXpress members for no additional cost, it is part of the overal monthly marketing group membership fee of $495.

newsXpress is able to fund its comprehensive ink and toner marketing and support package thanks to the support of its preferred supplier. newsXpress members make the relationship work by only buying from our preferred supplier.

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.

Guiding members into gifts

Our merchandise team has developed a plan for helping newsXpress members navigate the large Sydney Gift fair next week. We will have people on the ground scouting suppliers and leading teams on the floor of the show as well as providing advice on the best way to get through such a large event. We will get together to debrief and relax with a drink.

newsXpress continues to evolve its gift offer for members and this Fair next week is another way we are able to practically help members learn how to enter this most regarding product category.

Lease advice for newsagents

newsXpress, as part of its services to newsXpress members, provides lease advice through our own lease consultant. With years of experience dealing with major landlords and independent developers and an excellent knowledge of the needs and challenges of newsagents, Chris Hicks is able to take the emotion out of navigating complex and potentially expensive lease issues.

Chris is available to newsXpress members to help them get what is often the largest cost in their business under control.
Around thirty new leases were negotiated for newsXpress members last year. Being able to do this work under a national brand and to consistent standards makes dealing with many landlords easier.

Driving traffic, sales and margin with books

newsXpress has just pitched its first book offer for the year. Targeting the busiest time of the year in book sales, the offer enables newsXpress members to enter this market easily, efficiently and profitably. Thanks to our supplier relationship, participating newsXpress members will have a compelling book offer which will drive excellent sales. It will be supported by advertising which will pull new customers to newsXpress locations.

Last year, thanks to newsXpress support, some members saw book sales quadruple, making the bottom line return more valuable per square metre than magazines.

Hot deals exclusively at newsXpress newsagencies

As 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.

newsXpress appoints single national ink supplier

newsXpress has announced the first of several new initiatives in the ink and toner space for its member newsagents planned for 2009. Tonnex International has been appointed the preferred supplier of ink and toner to newsXpress members.

Trading under the newsXpress created and owned Hot Ink! brand, ink has developed into a key category for our stores. We support this through national TV advertising, a national letterbox campaign and creative in-store POS and other collateral to drive excellent sales.

newsXpress further supports Hot Ink! with back office services heloing our members access the wisdom our our network of successful newsagents in this category.

New national confectionery deal for newsXpress newsagents

newsXpress has announced new and valuable commercial terms for the supply of leading brand name confectionery to newsXpress member newsagencies. This new relationship opens new products, better margin and a new supply channel to newsXpress members. It has been negotiated by our National Merchandise team, a group dedicated to delivering the best value possible to our members.

National advertising helps newsXpress newsagents

newsXpress has undertaken more national advertising, across four separate campaigns, over the last year than any newsagency marketing group.

Our national advertising on TV and print, drives traffic to newsXpress newsagencies and reinforces the value of our national brand to suppliers and landlords. This focus on national advertising is behind the latest ad we are running in newsagency channel trade journals.

Our in-house creative team has developed the ad to reflect the value of our advertising and the different approach we take to getting our message across.

Trent Shields, newsXpress’ national Marketing Manager, felt that ads to newsagents ought to reflect the vitality and fresh approach of the group. Watch out in the Queensland Newsagent and National Newsagent for these new ads from newsXpress.

Welcome to newsXpress

We are thrilled to welcome six new members to newsXpress today, February 1, 2009.

newsXpress Sorrento Quay, WA
newsXpress Sandgate, QLD
newsXpress Maryborough, VIC
newsXpress Fourways, TAS
newsXpress Toronto, NSW
newsXpress Cooma, NSW

We will work closely with these new members to help them bring newsXpress rewards to their businesses and to unlock ways they can contribute to other members.

Growing nationally is important to us and to the goals we have for our group and our members.

If you want to achieve more from your newsagency, consider newsXpress. Use the contact us page on our website to enquire.

First newsXpress members meeting for 2009

Yesterday, 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.

Finding employees with initiative

Since the launch of our new newsXpress wbesite late last year we have been receiving employment applications from people keen to work with specific newsXpress stores. We are able, corporately, vet these applicants for members. If one member is not looking for employees and another nearby is we are able to redirect the application.

This is another way our new website is helping newsXpress members. Finding good employees is a challenge. Applicants coming through our website have shown good initiative – a trait important in retail staff.

Our website continues to evolve, at the back end, to deliver excellent facilities exclusively for our member newsagents.

Valentine’s Day marketing collateral

In addition to the excellent marketing collateral provided by Hallmark for newsXpress members as part of the Alliance program, newsXpress has produced artwork for A4 and A3 posters for our members to use with Valentine’s Day gift displays. Given that gift displays may not be mixed with card displays, we saw a need for additional collateral. Having this extra marketing collateral available means newsXpress members can more effectively dress a second and third Valentine’s Day display and thereby drive better sale outcomes.

newsXpress members can access the artwork from our website. We will also send printed material to stores who request this – at no cost.

The importance of standards

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday about the Vinnies Op Shops run by the St Vincent de Paul Society, is a timely reminder for retailers, and newsagents in particular, about the importance of standards around a national brand. Without commenting on the politics of the changes being applied to Vinnies locations, it is important for a national brand to be more than a logo on a wall or hung as a shingle over a shop.

At newsXpress we are committed to strength behind the brand. The extent on this strength will be evident in the first round of members meetings we will run this year. We will demonstrate the importance not only to our members but newsagents more broadly the importance of a strong brand which is respected with consistency in every location in which the brand trades.

The newsXpress brand, what it stands for and how it is managed is another newsXpress point of difference.