newsXpress Blog

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.

Great ink deals in Lismore NSW

Luke Scott and the team at newsXpress Scott’s Lismore are pleased to have the offers and resources of newsXpress to help drive their business. As their front window shows, they are leveraging the newsXpress ink offer to make a bold statement they they are the INK AND TONER DESTINATION in Lismore.

The newsXpress philosophy is provide access to good product at competitive prices, to support this with professional national marketing and to provide in-store face to face advice on execution. Luke and the team have embraced all these newsXpress deliverables to drive an excellent ink and toner offer for everyone in Lismore and surrounding areas. The result is excellent growth for the business through Christmas and January. What a great business story!

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.

New uniform supplier for newsXpress

After months of exhaustive research and trials, newsXpress has appointed a new uniform supplier. This new supplier has made available a range of newsXpress branded uniforms for our members and their teams to wear in-store to proudly represent the brand.

From behind the counter to the back of the shop we are positioned to present a professional and consistent face across our newsagent marketing group nationally.

Valentine’s Power End (part 2)

The visual merchandising team at our newsXpress Frankston location have made excellent use of the Hallmark and newsXpress marketing collateral – built around the free Sunbeam coffee machine being given away to one lucky customer. Like many newsXpress stores, the team has bought well from newsXpress suppliers, choosing appropriately for their specific demographic.

For seasons like Valentine’s Day, newsXpress provide a range of options for members and they select according to their local needs. We understand that there are times when a consistent national range and price is important and times when local needs take precedence. newsXpress is flexible in its approach and puts the needs of our members first.

Valentine’s Power End (part 1)

Phil and Wendy Banks at newsXpress Glendale have a reputation in their region for gifts. They have built this carefully by attending trade shows and listening to their customers. Phil and Wendy were at the Reed Gift Fair in Melbourne this weekend – already planning for later this year. Back at their shop, their Valentine’s Day marketing was in full swing. They have a brand new range of gifts and are using the newsXpress marketing collateral (provided through our new website) to good effect.

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.

Sunbeam espresso machine prize for Valentine’s Day

Buy a Hallmark Valentine’s Day card at a participating newsXpress newsagency between now and February 14 and go in the draw to win a Sunbeam Espresso Machine. There is one Espresso machine on offer per participating newsXpress store – great odds for a great gift this Valentine’s Day. As the posters in-store say, Brew a little love … thanks to Hallmark and newsXpress.

newsXpress is proud to be part of this national campaign by Hallmark. Each store will conduct its own draw and call winners to let them know of their success with Hallmark and newsXpress.

Local prizes have been a successful marekting tool for our newsagency marketing group and are, in our view, a another reason our year on year (same store) greeting card sales growth is better than other newsagents.

Three times the luck

newsXpress Macarthur are celebrating good fortune today as they sold their third major NSW Lotteries prize in little over a month. Graeme Baker and the team this morning sold the 1^st prize of $100,000 in the $2 Jackpot. This is in addition to the $100,000 first prize this store sold in the $2 Jackpot leading up to Christmas and also first prize of $1,363,636 in the Saturday $30m at their Kellicar Lane store.

So in all in a matter of a few weeks newsXpress at Macarthur and Kellicar Lane have made 24 people very happy as there was 22 work mates in the Saturday lotto win.

Second online member meeting for newsagents

newsXpress is announcing today a second member meeting for 2009 – an online meeting on Thursday February 5 at 3pm. The 3pm start will enable this to be a national meeting, covering all time zones. The meeting will preview the remainder of quater one 2009 activity, present several newsXpress exclusive product deals and facilitate a general business discussion. Access to the meeting is open to newsXpress members only. To participate, you will need a computer with broadband and access to a phone for a toll free call for the audio part of the meeting.

Our online member meetings are in addition to our face to face capital city and regional member meetings and in-store visits made with members on a regular basis. newsXpress places high importance in getting like-minded newsagents together to talk about business and collectively develop strategies for member businesses and the group as a whole.