Congratulations to Warrick Hosking and the team at newsXpress Gympie in Queensland for winning the inaugural Hallmark Alliance Retailer of the Year Award. This is a new award from Hallmark, created for retailers in their Alliance program. This group is the best of the best and includes newsagents, card shops and gift shops.
Hallmark created the award to drive engagement in the premium alliance program in its independent and small business retail channel. The criteria was considerable: engagement in marketing campaigns, meeting display and merchandising criteria and sales growth.
newsXpress Gympie won from a field of ten finalists including seven newsagencies of which four were newsXpress stores. Thee final selection was difficult for the judges given the caliber of the finalists. newsXpress Gympie won for their proactive, creative and commercial support of the Hallmark brand and products.
Well done to Warrick and the team. Well done to newsXpress Bairnsdale, newsXpress Glendale, newsXpress Sunbury Square, Williamstonw News, McGees News & Lotto and The Lucky Charm Townsville for making the final ten in a tough commercial competition.
I congratulate Hallmark for investing back into the channel by running this competition and using it to get newsagents to engage in the card category in their businesses.
Well done Warrick and his team…..a lot can be learnt from a little newsagency in downtown Gympie !!!
If every newsagent in Australia was as proactive in the market as Warrick, we would not be talking about newsagencies closing. Warrick is passionate about his shop and the industry, has even reshuffled his week so he has more time off, wins award after award and is very proud of what he does. If we had more Warrick Hoskings we would have a very sound industry. ( Yes we have let competition in by not embracing it) Well done Warrick Hosking you are a giant of the industry and a credit to small business.
Can someone tell me what the premium alliance program is? We stock a lot of Hallmark, but our rep has never mentioned it. Is it only an eastern states thing?
Vicki,
It’s not a rep thing. It’s by invitation only and there is an annual cost involved. All newsXpress stores are included in the program as part of their strategic partnership with Hallmark.
That explains it then. Thanks Jarryd! Wouldn’t want to be missing out on an opportunuty 🙂