Month: November 2012

Promoting Better Homes and Gardens Christmas issue

newsXpress Pakenham is promoting the Christmas issue of Better Homes and Gardens with an excellent display well placed in store to make the most of this very special issue of the magazine. Placing this next to the Better Homes and Gardens Christmas cookbook is perfect for driving a deeper shopping basket.  The result will be terrific sales and bonus margin dollars. Well done newsXpress Pakenham!

Exclusive mains pressure water cannon hot!

We have newsXpress members reporting excellent sales  of the mains pressure water canon that is one of the exclusive to newsXpress items in our 2012 Christmas range.

One newsXpress location in Queensland sold eleven units in a couple of days, another in Victoria has sold eight in the frirst week.

Having a world first product available exclusively from newsXpress stores is delivering to us a commercially valuable point of difference to our members and to us.

newsXpress members are embracing the opportunity of ordering extra stock.

newsXpress exclusive Christmas collateral

newsXpress members have been provided a range of exclusive collateral for use through Christmas trading. Centred on this Christmas poster, a range of collateral including shelf talkers and price flyers have been provided for promoting the overall season as well as specific products. All of this collateral has been provided timed with the release of the newsXpress Christmas product range.

Another profitable product for newsXpress members.

These cute little interactive Chatter Munk plush items are going gangbusters in newsXpress locations. We have had members report sales of 80 in a matter of weeks. For birthday, Christmas or any occasion – Chatter Munks are hot products and working perfectly as an impulse purchase item.

newsXpress identified the opportunity through one of our preferred suppliers and helped unlock the opportunity through in-store engagement with our RDM team and our national merchandise team.

Our exclusive RDMs are terrific at guiding newsXpress members to unlocking excellent impulse and more strategic product opportunities from preferred suppliers.

At the counter or elsewhere on the shop floor, the Chatter Munks are working a treat for newsXpress.

newsXpress delivers best practice visual merchandising

newsXpress has delivered a best practice shop floor visual merchandising solution to members with the display for Patch, a hero product from our Christmas range.

newsXpress members taking the full supply of Patch received a premium floor stand for no extra cost. The stand includes a LCD screen on which the Patch TV ad plays in a loop. This ad, with sound, shows the fun of Patch for the entire family. It perfectly pitches the product, showing off the value of smart technology to help engage with shoppers.

Placing the floor display unit toward the front of the shop and where the TV ad can be heard enhances the opportunities Patch sales.

newsXpress members are reporting excellent success so far with Patch, good early sales to customers happy to have access to this unique product.

newsXpress negotiates excellent product deals for members as well as access to exclusive products. It then backs these deals with opportunities, like this free display unit, with which to drive sales of the products.

newsXpress members talk newsagency management in Perth

Newsagency marketing and newsagency management were on the agenda when Western Australian members of newsXpress got together late last week in Perth.

Over the course of four hours the group and some newsXpress management shared ideas, insights and opportunities in pursuit of more successful businesses.

It is at round-table free-flowing discussions like these where terrific business ideas emerge – ideas for local businesses and ideas that newsXpress can take more widely than just in Western Australia.

newsXpress has a unique offer for newsagents as demonstrated through the latest member meetings. Facilitating proactive discussion between newsagents unlocks genuine business growth opportunities, often without the need to invest further capital in the business.

Excellent newsXpress member meeting in Melbourne

newsXpress members who participated in the member meeting in Melbourne last week are providing excellent feedback on the experience.

Hosted at the Kooyong tennis centre, right next to centre court, the event was an excellent mix of product and business management discussion. Several suppliers had special offers available and one of our FMCG suppliers, exclusive to newsXpress, shared valuable shopper basket insights based on a professional analysis of basket data from close to 30 newsXpress outlets.

newsXpress provides access to excellent supplier deals and backs these with commercially valuable insights that help stores convert supplier deals into cash in the bank sooner.

A feature of the meeting was a two-hour open forum  in which everyone participated, sharing ideas from their own businesses. The free-flowing discussion covered products, newspaper distribution, future changes in retail, shop leases, business planning, staffing and plenty of other topics. It was an excellent and open networking session. newsXpress members not at the meeting have been able to see comments from participants at our private communications page.

This member meeting in Melbourne showed off the value of being part of newsXpress on a range of levels. We are grateful to newsXpress members and suppliers who took time out of their businesses to participate.

Skansen support helps newsXpress members make more from Beanie Kids

newsXpress members enjoy wonderful support from Slansen for the Beanie Kids range.

From accessing products to understanding the Beanie collector to tapping into merchandising ideas, newsXpress members have access to best practice opportunities form Skansen.

Our newsXpress Knox City corporate store is driving excellent sales of Beanie Kids by being able to display this in a strong and consistent way. the store regularly moves product – but always together as shown in the photo. Each move unlocks new product opportunities form shoppers.

This display and the handling of beanie products at this store is best practice: good range, well displayed, supported with good knowledge from staff and great shop floor shopper engagement.

Diaries selling very well for newsXpress

newsXpress Knox City, like so many newsXpress stores, is having a great time with diary sales thanks to a well-located in-store display facing into the shopping mall.

Following best practice two-tiered placement of the newsXpress collateral above the display gives the placement of diaries an excellent presence.

With year on year sales ahead by double digits this is an excellent position for diaries at this point in the season. By being price and range competitive, newsXpress Knox City is enjoying the 2013 diary season and making the most of the opportunity.

newsXpress EXCLUSIVE: Patch the talking dog

newsXpress Knox City is embracing the opportunity with Patch, one of the EXCLUSIVE Christmas lines for members of our group.

Promoted on the lease line facing into the shopping mall, the Patch display is setup with the how to video in play.

The display is next to a One Direction display, to leverage more traffic.

The plush items on top are there to draw more attention – they are selling like hot cakes.

It is fascinating watching shoppers walking past in the mall, notice the display and come over. It’s the combination that works well, especially the bolder and brighter items. Once at the display they get to see the detail and hear fun of Patch.  As the only shop in Knox City with Patch this is an excellent opportunity for grabbing sales and building word of mouth.

Interactive products a hit in newsXpress stores

Interactive product sales in newsXpress stores have close to doubled in value in 2012 compared to 2011 on a same store basis. This growth has been achieved thanks to wonderful support from suppliers with new interactive products with which to entice shoppers to shop with us.

newsXpress Port Fairy is one newsXpress member embracing the interactive opportunity with a range of products from the Hallmark recordable storybooks to the Chattermunk product. These delightful and engaging products give a wonderful experience. they are a wonderful gift to give and a terrific product to have on the shop floor.

By engaging with interactive products from a number of suppliers, newsXpress members are able to tell a better retail story and drive a better commercial outcome. This is money in the bank!

Promoting One Direction in Port Lincoln

newsXpress Beers Port Lincoln in South Australia has been promoting a range of One Direction products in their shop window, drawing in shoppers from the street with their excellent range of items related to the boy-band phenomenon.

Bringing a range of products together from various suppliers for a window display pitches the business as satisfying an interest or need. It separates the business from others who may have the titles but will not have been smart enough to pitch them together in this way.

It’s a smart move.

Christmas already at Ocean Grove

newsXpress Ocean Grove went out early with an excellent range of Christmas decoration products from newsXpress preferred suppliers. The display on the dance floor facing shoppers as they enter the business looks stunning. It’s working a treat.

Plenty of newsXpress suppliers provided access to early Christmas shipping, giving our members the opportunity to ensure they got what they wanted when they wanted – so they could make the most of the Christmas season.

The story being told on the shop floor at newsXpress Ocean Grove is excellent not only for the business but also for Ocean Grove shoppers who can have their Christmas decoration needs satisfied without having to drive into Geelong. This is a good shop local message.

newsXpress members love our free newsletter

In a recent member survey, newsXpress members shared that they loved the free monthly InStore Offers newsletter produced by newsXpress for members. The newsletter is sent as a PDF that can be customised to look like a personal newsletter from the newsXpress business ton its customers.

Some newsXpress members include the newsletter with monthly accounts, others mail it to their customer database, others email it and others have it in a display unit at the front of the store.

Regardless of how the newsletter is distributed, it spreads the newsXpress message far and wide in a professional and proud way. Every newsXpress member engaging with this is reaching beyond their store with the newsXpress message and showing that not all newsagents are the same.

newsXpress was first to market with this type of marketing platform for newsagents. today, years on, the newsletter connects with our live in-store radio, TV campaigns, seasonal promotions and other consumer marketing connections. It’s an important part of our integrated marketing.

This month’s newsletter features some excellent EXCLUSIVE deals that further show off genuine value from shopping at newsXpress.

newsXpress Eli Waters scares up Halloween fun

Allan and Stella Wickham of newsXpress Eli waters win the price for the best live engagement with Halloween thanks to the amazing look they each put on for the big day earlier this week. Well done to both for putting aside their glamour looks for a day and embracing the fun of Halloween in this way. It is this type of embrace that makes halloween even more enjoyable.

Reports fron newsXpress stores are of an excellent Halloween season.  In one of  our corporate stores, sales are up more than 200% off an already good base. It went out with an excellent front of store display and competes with the majors in the shopping centre.

Allan and Stella take the cake for the best look. They have done the newsXpress brand proud and scared plenty of customers (in a good way).

Terrific diary offer at newsXpress Ascot Vale

Check out terrific diary range on show at newsXpress Ascot Vale in Victoria. Well situated on the dance floor and promoted using the newsXpress 2013 diary collateral, this display can’t be missed by shoppers in the store. On offer is an excellent range of diaries for Ascot Vale shoppers.

Click on the image to see a larger version.