VANA MEMBER PROFILE – Mentone Newsagency
Address: 24-26 Como Parade West, Mentone, Victoria, 3194
Store Owners: Geoff Deas and Theresa Deas
Products Sold: Newspapers, the Lott, books, magazines, gifts and tonnes more.
Geoff and Theresa pride themselves on being third generation traditional Newsagents with over 30 years experience, providing their customers with reliable products and genuine customer service. To be competitive in an ever changing market place, they have introduced more non-traditional products and services in the store to accommodate their customer needs.
- THE LOTT PRODUCTS
- NEWSPAPERS INCLUDING DELIVERY
- MAGAZINES
- GREETING CARDS AND ASSOCIATED PRODUCTS (loyalty program)
- STATIONERY, BOOKS, TOYS
- GIFTS
- APPAREL
- TECHNOLOGY ACCESSORIES
- BLUESHYFT
- LADBROKES
- MYKI
- STAMPS
- PARCEL DROP OFF AND COLLECTION 5 COMPANIES
- AMAZON HUB
- INHOUSE DESIGN SERVICE
- PRINTING EMAIL COPY SERVICE
- FULL SERVICE DELIVERY OF PRODUCTS WEBSITE
- CLICK AND COLLECT
Their efforts have been formally recognised by the industry via the following awards:
- RETAIL NEWSAGENT OF THE YEAR 2003
- R/U NATIONAL NEWSAGENT OF THE YEAR 2003
- FINALIST VICTORIAN NEWSAGENT OF THE YEAR 2018
- VICTORIAN NEWSAGENT OF THE YEAR 2019
They have contributed and supported their community in many ways throughout their time in Mentone, including but not limited to, City of Kingston promotions, being an active member of the Mentone Traders Association Committee and their promotions (#mymentone), local sponsorship and small business mentoring.
COVID-19 RESPONSE
“We know that 2020 was a tough year re: COVID, but is was exceptionally difficult for us all in Mentone as we also had the railway crossing removal to plan for. This had a huge impact on all the traders in Mentone for the whole year. Geoff and I were involved in a number of local and state government initiatives along with industry initiatives to ensure changes in our business were reflective of our individual circumstance, and community requirements. Listening to our customers and acting on changing circumstances have improved our business so that we continue to trade strongly.
We have a new interactive web site that has given us greater exposure and a link to a larger customer base. The big lockdown also exposed us to a different customer base and we have incorporated more products and services based on their feedback and needs. Being proactive is the best advice we can give.”
– Geoff Deas
