Customers like feedback option

nx_feedback.jpgThe feedback facilities at our new newsXpress website are being enjoyed by customers and visitors.  Plenty are clicking on Contact Us and completing a simple to form to provide feedback on our offers and store-level experiences.  We respond to enery contact and involve specific newsXpress store members if appropriate. 

The contact us facilities on our new website are another way newsXpress is leading the newsagency channel on customer service and pursuing its for customers to experience the difference. 

Our website will continue to evolve with new facilities currently under development.

Early start to Valentine’s Day

newsXpress members are taking up our Valentine’s Day offers in good numbers.  We have selected a range of gift lines to compliment an excellent range of greeting cards and related items already provided by core suppliers.  In selecting our product offers we have carefully balanced margin with potential volume as both are crucial factors in product selection.

While newsXpress sources offers around seasons and throughout the year, members are free to make their own decision as to whether to participate.  It is gratifying sharing the results after a season and hearing how well offers pitched through the group have gone.

Preparing the TV campaign

newsXpress is putting the finishing touches to a Back to School TV campaign due to hit the airwaves in ten days time.  This newsXpress exclusive campaign will promote several hero products and a commitment to service to drive traffic to our network of newsagencies.  This will be our third TV campaign in a year, not bad for a small group of 160 stores. 

Our TV support for Back To School is in addition to brochures which are being delivered to homes around participating newsXpress locations.

Three new gift suppliers announced

newsXpress has announced three new gift supplier relationships to members.  With gift department sales growing well in 2008, our merchandise team has been working hard to extent the ranges available on favourable terms to our members for 2009. 

Exclusive product offers and pricing key elements of these exclusive supplier arrangements negotiated by newsXpress.  The differences between newsagents will increase this year as the value of deals such as these is felt by more newsagents. 

newsXpress is pleased to have national network of 160 locations on behalf of which to negotiate these arrangements.

Lucky newsXpress

newsXpress Parap in the Northern Territory, newsXpress Kellicar Lane in New South Wales and newsXpress Collie in Western Australia are the latest in a string of newsXpress outlets to sell a first division lottery prize.  Both sold First division Saturday.  While we don’t control who wins, we do make sure that through excellent customer service every lottery customer at newsXpress is a winner.

newsXpress stores in Queensland in 2008 sold close to twenty major lottery prizes of close to $100,000.

Post updated January 11, 2009.

Easier booking of member meetings

Booking to attend member meetings will be easier this year for newsXpress members.  Next week, we release an update to our new website and which delivers the ability for members to book online to attend a member’s meeting.  This saves newsXpress members having to fax or call. 

Booking though our website will be faster, cheaper and easier – benefits which demonstrate what newsXpress is about in its dealings with its members.  we are helping our members experience the difference.

Watch for more innovation from our new website over the coming months.

Engaging the customers

dsc00030.JPGOne of the benefits of newsXpress is being part of a community of proactive newsagents sharing ideas and experiences.  Marc, Darren and Cody of newsXpress The Pines, Elanora got into the swing of the $30 million medadraw by donning the posters and their newsXpress uniforms and walking the centre.  The guys had a bit of fun,  the $30 million megadraw was promoted and the newsXpress brand was well represented outside the four walls of the shop.  While promotions like this can be done by anyone, being part of a group like newsXpress provides a forum through which the ideas can be discussed and developed.

Promoting the Australian Masters Games

aus_masters.jpgnewsXpress is proud to be supporting the  Australian Masters Games to be held in Geelong in February this year with the launch of an official decorations pack for use by our members.  The Masters Games provides another opportunity for newsXpress members to get behind a major community event.  More than 10,000 participants are expected at this year’s Games covering seventy sports.  As with all such community promotions, paarticipation is not mandatory – newsXpress provides the materials and background information and leaves it to newsXpress members to decide if this is something for their business.

Exclusive Puzzler promotion

newsXpress is participating in an exclusive promotion with Puzzler Collections magazine.  Participating newsXpress members will be provided with newsXpress branded bonus packs containing Puzzler Collections as well as two other Puzzler titles – priced to sell.  This exclusive pack is providing us with an excellent offer around which to promote the crossword category and the Puzzler brand in p[articular in newsXpress outlets in the lead up to the Back To School rush.

With 160 entrepreneurial newsagents across the country, newsXpress is pleased to be able to offer publishers opportunities to promote their brand while delivering exclusive commercially valuable opportunities for our members.

Dressing for Australia Day

austday.jpgnewsXpress has put together a range of marketing collateral for newsXpress members to use in dressing their newsagencies for Australia Day 2009.  Available in kit form, the in-store marketing package includes two large posters, an Australian flag, bunting, ribbon and balloons – everything you need to show you are proud Austraian business in the lead up to Australia Day.  newsXpress is proud to be helping its members embrace our national day and through this better connect with the local community.

Valentine’s Day and beyond

While many suppliers to newsagents are closed right now, the newsXpress merchandise team is in the office this week and busy putting the final touches to plans for Valentine’s Day 2009.  While the core offers for Valentine’s Day were sent to our members prior to Christmas, we have new opportunities we have been finalising to ensure that newsXpress newsagencies have a point of difference for this important season.

Dressing for the SALE

_nx_boxsale.JPGnewsXpress provided members with professionally designed artwork for post Christmas sales last week.  The post Christmas sales can be as important as the lead up to Christmas.  Good artwork helps our members maximise the opportunity and present the newsXpress point of difference, reinforcing that not all newsagencies are the same.

This free artwork and the post Christmas sale supporting strategy is another way newsXpress helps its members sieze every opportunity.

The photo shows how we are using the artwork at our corporate store at Watergardens in Melbourne.  Yesterday, our store looked sensational and sales numbers told us that the marketing worked.

Christmas Eve

Our team is heading off early today to a well earned break with family and friends over Christmas.  Our offices will be closed from this afternoon until Monday December 29.  Our usual after-hours numbers are all available if any member or supplier needs to make urgent contact.

From our family to yours … have a wonderful Christmas!

Branding is everything

nxp-a2.jpgBranding is important to the newsXpress family.  We seek to provide opportunities to brand beyond the traditional newsagency style branding, to promote our unique selling proposition.

We have completed art for posters for use in-store for locations yet to complete a newsXpress shopfit or to supplement existing in-store signage.  These A2 double sided colour posters are also useful when our members need to promote newsXpress outside their business.

We understand that change is important in retail and have committed to providing our members with fresh supplementary branding materials regularly. 

These new posters will be released early in 2009 and are further evidence of our commitment to help our members position their businesses for range, service and smiles.

Driving magazine sales.

dsc05668.JPGnewsXpress has been recently briefed by a major magazine publisher on our same store year-on-year growth.  newsXpress members who embrace our strategies, and that is most, are achieving considerably above industry average growth.  When compared to every other group, we lead in the magazine department in terms of growth.  We are proud of this because it is magazines which account for a significant portion of traffic visiting newsagencies. 

With seven magazine management and promotion strategies exclusive to newsXpress, our member newsagents are well prepared to continue our success in this category.

The newsXpress Christmas card

nxp-back.jpgnewsXpress has created a Christmas card in house to spread seasonal wishes to suppliers and others.  Click on the image to see a larger version.  The most important part of the Christmas card is the back page where all of our stores are listed.  This page is newsXpress – around 160 newsagencies making up the most vibrant and exciting newsagency marketing group in Australia.  The card is also a good advertisement of our in-house graphic design and marketing skills.  Skills which are crucial to the success of any marketing group.

Working with newsXpress members

fnq_nxp.jpgMichelle Caia from our National Merchandise Team and Karen Sutton newsXpress national Sales manager recently toured all Far North Queensland newsXpress stores.  These visits were used to provide newsXpress members with training on newsXpress in-store initiatives, provide a fresh eyes review of the business and to expose Michelle to member requirements in her area of merchandise within the group. 

In the photo you can see Michelle and Karen with Peter from newsXpress Emerald.

Excellent Christmas at Roselands

18th-dec-015.jpgVinay and the team at newsXpress Roselands have created a big bold outpost for Christmas this year.  Their product mix and excellent customer service combine to make the most of the high-profile opportunity.  The range is good and the floor layout very shopper friendly.  Sales are excellent, a tribute to the planning and execution of Vinay and his team at Roselands.

newsXpress appreciates the efforts of members like Vinay who pursue every opportunity in and around their business.  This commitment to entrepreneurship helps our group nationally as well as the individual store.