Embracing Change and Thriving in the Retail Landscape A conversation with Mark and Shelley, owners of newsXpress Sarina

In the ever-evolving retail landscape, newsagents face unique challenges and opportunities. Adaptability and innovation are key to staying relevant and profitable. In this blog post, we share insights from Mark and Shelley, owners of newsXpress Sarina, who have successfully navigated the changing retail landscape for over two decades.

From Passion to Profitability

Mark and Shelley’s journey into the newsagency business began in 2001, driven by their passion for reading and community engagement. They faced numerous challenges, including declining print circulation and increasing competition from online retailers. However, they remained resilient and focused on adapting their business model to meet the evolving needs of their customers.

Embracing Change and Innovation

One of the key factors in Mark and Shelley’s success has been their willingness to embrace change and innovate. They expanded their product offerings to include magazines, books, greeting cards, and stationery. They also invested in technology to improve their customer experience and streamline their operations.

Focusing on Profitability

Mark and Shelley emphasise the importance of focusing on profitability, not just revenue. They carefully analyse sales data and identify opportunities to increase margins and reduce costs. They also implement effective pricing strategies and negotiate favorable deals with suppliers.

Taking Calculated Risks

Taking calculated risks is another essential aspect of thriving in the retail landscape. Mark and Shelley were not afraid to try new things, such as launching a loyalty program or hosting community events. They carefully weighed the potential risks and rewards before making any decisions.

Enjoying the Journey

In addition to their business success, Mark and Shelley also emphasise the importance of enjoying the journey. They stressed the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance and finding time for hobbies and interests outside of the business.

Key Takeaways for Aspiring Newsagents

Based on their experience, Mark and Shelley offer the following advice to aspiring newsagents:

  • Embrace change and innovate.
  • Focus on profitability, not just revenue.
  • Take calculated risks.
  • Enjoy the journey.
  • Build strong relationships with your customers and suppliers.
  • Invest in your staff and provide them with the training and support they need to succeed.
  • Utilize technology to improve your customer experience and streamline your operations.
  • Stay up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in the retail industry.

By following these tips, newsagents can position themselves for success in the ever-changing retail landscape.

Mark and Shelley’s story is a testament to the power of adaptability, innovation, and hard work. By embracing change and focusing on their customers’ needs, they have built a successful and profitable newsagency business. Their journey serves as an inspiration to all newsagents who are looking to thrive in the digital age.

Now, in their own words …

Here at newsXpress we are passionate about helping local retailers run valuable and enjoyable businesses.

How do you start a newsagency or newsagent business?

Here at newsXpress we help local newsagents thrive. We do this through advice and support. Every decision is yours to take. It’s your business. You are in control.

What we do for each newsXpress member depends on their situation and what they want from us. Every business is different. Every business owner has different needs.

While all newsXpress members have access to our preferred suppliers, network wide connected websites, seasonal collateral, digital assets and networking opportunities, it is in our personal, business-specific, help where value can be found for plenty of newsXpress members.

We assess your business data as we prefer to offer advice based on evidence. Often when we do this we discover opportunities missed, low hanging fruit to be picked.

The approach is whole of business, considering location, product mix, financial resources, people resources and what you want and need from the business.

While we have members who prefer to do this work for themselves, we have others who appreciate a more engaged approach.

How much or little newsXpress members and our head office team members work together is entirely under control of each newsXpress member.

Nothing is required or mandatory.

When it comes to in-store retail though, we help you with the everyday:

  • Buy price. We help you buy better.
  • Stock turn. We help you sell products sooner.
  • We help you reduce the cost of theft.
  • We help you cast your business differently, to help improve shopper stickiness.
  • New traffic. We help you attract people not shopping with you today.
  • We help you tame them.

We help you make things happen by being actively engaged.

Being profitable is critical for every business.

Your profit today puts money in your bank account today and sets you up for making more when you decide to exit the business.

So, when we talk about business value, we are focussed on helping you drive profit. From what you pay for inventory, to how long it sits on the shelf to your business overheads to making more from each shopper visit, we help you maximise these and other touchpoints.

Our 130+ preferred suppliers offer members terrific margin opportunities.

We shine a light on products that turn faster.

We have preferred suppliers who: provide exclusive product and who offer first to market opportunities.

Exclusive. Plenty of our preferred suppliers do not sell to other newsagents.

Our central billing program unlocks for you delayed billing terms.

Our shop floor tactical training and guidance can help you achieve higher inventory turn rates, delivering a better return on investment, better return on floor space, and better return on labour.

newsXpress is here to help local newsagents thrive!

Local shoppers loving the optimism in local newsXpress newsagencies

While news outlets tend to focus on doom and gloom, local newsXpress newsagencies are happy places where plenty of good news is celebrated every day.

Remaining open all through Covid, local newsXpress newsagencies offer joyful shopping experiences for birthday gifts, games, toys, family fun and self care. They are places of joy and happiness where people can share and encourage gratefulness.

Local newsXpress newsagencies are rainbows in this time when too many talk about clouds.

From fun jigsaws to huggable plush toys to gorgeous Aussie made candles to beautiful Disney jewellery and more, newsXpress newsagencies offer people ways to love life and celebrate at home or for others with easily postable gifts and other celebration opportunities.

For sure 2020 has been an odd year, with its challenges. However, we have learnt so much, discovered so much.  There are many wonderful craft projects, adult colouring, Diamond Dotz, U-Gears, make up kits and more that people are loving from newsXpress newsagents.

There are so many celebrations in families, with friends, work colleagues and more where local newsXpress newsagencies are able to help support the joyful celebration with greeting cards, gifts and more. We are seeing card sales grow because more people are finding more things to celebrate and be happy about.

We are seeing people celebrate new homes, new jobs, new babies, engagements and weddings … so much good news, happiness and joyfulness. This makes our local newsXpress newsagency businesses happy places as people come in with their stories, their news, and they allow us to help them celebrate. It is wonderful. makes us smile every time.

Your local newsXpress newsagency is a place for all these celebrations and more. We have stationery, craft items and other things you can use to make for happy times, fun times and fulfilling times. No matter your age or situation.

Many local newsXpress newsagencies will happily post packages for you and deliver locally within their area. They can help you celebrate those you love and care about and through this help you bring jy to the lives of others.

Yes, the news may be doom and gloom. Your local newsX[press newsagency is a happy place, a rainbow of joy where you can be sure to smile and celebrate all the good things in your life and the lives of those you care about.

newsXpress – helping Aussie newsagents be more relevant than ever

newsXpress helps Aussie newsagents run more relevant and appealing businesses, serving local communities in Australia with product they want – in-store and click and collect.

Through newsXpress local newsagents can easily sell online for delivery anywhere in Australia as well as for fast and easy click and collect.

This is the newsagency of the future – an efficient tech based model that delivers to local community products newsagents are known for like papers and magazines and plenty more products like awesome games, toys, gifts and more.

newsXpress newsagents bring to you the very best in toys, collectibles, jigsaws, games and other fun and enjoyable items that are helping to make 2020 a year of happy memories.

There are newsagents and, then, there are newsXpress newsagents. newsXpress newsagents are a happy group, vibrant, changing and serving communities with funky and enjoyable products and doing this in ways that are relevant in 2020 and beyond. This is a year of wonderful change and newsXpress through its newsagent members is embracing the change.

From stationery, to birthday cards, to packaging materials, to candles, to gifts for him, to gifts for her, to gifts for yourself … your local newsXpress is bound to be able to serve your needs. Plus, it can do this online, too.

newsXpress is a wonderful place for celebrating, enjoying, remembering and generally engaging in live and the emotions of life.

We help local newsagents make businesses that are enjoyable and valuable for those who rely on the business.

This is the difference newsXpress brings to newsagents who partner with the newsagency group … we offer opportunities, not demands. Everything we do and suggest is optional, up to the local retailer to decide as to relevance for their local business situation.

Selling online has been part of the newsXpress newsagent opportunity for more than five years. Most of our members have an online connection through the online engagement opportunities newsXpress offers. This could be for local delivery, out of town delivery, click and collect and more. Online is one of a bunch of key differentiators that newsXpress offers its members and for which it has terrific runs on the board.

Stunning results shared at newsXpress conference

IMG_7792It was a thrill to hear of tremendous success for newsXpress stores and newsXpress suppliers at the national conference in Melbourne this week.

With 135 newsXpress members in the room, the event was a terrific success with optimism abounding as members engaged in proactive business discussions adding to the success already created through supplier relationships.

Over the course of three days there has been excellent networking, buying, motivation and fun. This has been a conference to remember.

Fantastic Sydney Gift Fair for newsXpress

newsXpress and newsXpress members had a fantastic Gift Fair in Sydney over the last five days thanks to the pre-planning done by the head office team. The handy fair maps, meet-ups, dinners and other connections made the fair more useful for newsXpress as did co-ordinated buying, guided buying and the other services provided by the group to enhance the member experience.

This is a massive newsXpress difference – the care and attention to detail around events like the Sydney Gift Fair – helping newsXpress members get the best possible value from attending the fair and being part of newsXpress.

A bonus from this fair was the prospective members we got to connect with. What a thrill.

newsXpress Supplier of the Year 2015: Big Balloon

Congratulations to Big balloon announced the newsXpress Supplier of the Year for 2015. On the basis of stunning growth, proactive engagement and valuable store-level results, Big Balloon is a vitally important supplier to the group and its retail partners to help us grow even more valuable a successful businesses.

newsXpress helps newsagents with shopfit design

Screen Shot 2015-08-21 at 10.01.42 pmNewsagency marketing group newsXpress helps members with shop floor layout, driving efficiency in design for today and into the future as the business builds a stronger focus on high margin traffic generating items. The support of newsXpress members in this practical way leads to more flexible and financially rewarding shop fits on which newsXpress members can rely as their product and customer mix changes.

Terrific newsXpress networking event

newsXpress members got together for a networking event Monday night at Crown Promenade for drinks and a gift fair de-broef. It was a bunch of fun. It was also valuable for business to share ideas and experiences from the floors of the three trade shows in Melbourne over the weekend and this week.

newsXpress members networking is always a good experience and we are grateful to be part of this.

Wonderful feature by the ABC: newsXpress Beers Port Lincoln

Joh Whennen of newsXpress Beers Port Lincoln has been featured by the ABC in a terrific series on local shopkeepers.

The story is a credit to Joy and the team:

Joy and her staff enjoy helping their customers feel welcome in Beers Newsagency as she says, “this is one of the most important things in business”.

Interacting with the customers, helping choose the products to have in store, and making sure there is always a large stock of educational items are the things that Joy enjoys most about her work.

111389

newsXpress members in Mackay region meet

mackMackay region newsXpress members met last week for a regular regional cluster meeting. It was a terrific half-day session with practical discussion among engaged pro-active newsagents keen to work on their business. We discussed opportunities, suppliers, regional issues and other topics.

This is the type of meeting from which everyone benefits and for which newsXpress is well known.

Hallmark shares valuable insight with newsagents

hmk2Hallmark Sales Director David O’Brien shared valuable insights with a pack room at the newsXpress National Conference on Monday. departing from the usual card company presentation,

David shared results from terrific in-store innovation and trials and provided insights into opportunities around which newsXpress members can expect to leverage for further growth.

newsXpress National Conference kicks off

confThis photo shows the main conference room at the newsXpress National Conference in Melbourne at the MCEC yesterday. 180 people in the room. Stunning numbers.

This is the first day of a busy three day conference event focused on traffic growth, profitability and enjoyment in member businesses.

Yesterday was preceded by a buying day on Sunday.