Five different Leading Edge Groups - Music, Video, Books, Jewellery and Electronics - contributed to the MOVEMBER Fundraising Drive by Chatswood RSL.  Their aim was to raise $30,000 for Movember, which raises vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and depression in men.

With help from Leading Edge Group they were able to exceed their target and raised a total of $37,472 for this worthwhile cause!

Leading Edge Group announced today that, as part of its ongoing restructure, Simon Allison has left the business, effective immediately.  Simon has made a significant contribution to Leading Edge Group, including the introduction of the central billing, the investment in UK, CCA and the TBC operations and the restructuring of the NZ operations.  The directors wish Simon well for the future.

Leading Edge Group announced today that Gavin Ward has stepped down from his role as CEO, Buying Groups.  Ward said:  “In the last year our telecommunications business, including the acquisition of the Melbourne Telstra Business Centre, has gone from strength to strength.  The Board and I felt that it was the right time to modify the management structure to suit the future needs of the business.” 

Ward added: “Simon Allison (CEO, Business Services) and I embraced a review of the management structure initiated by the Board some months ago.   The new structure means I will now be leaving the company and moving on to new challenges.”

The company recognises and thanks Gavin Ward for his significant achievements and loyal service, and offers its best wishes for his future endeavours.

The business has been divided into the natural divisions of Telecoms and Buying Groups.  Simon Allison has taken on the responsibility for the Buying Group and Geoff De Graaff for the Telecoms Group.

Simon has been with the company since 2003 and joint CEO for the past two years. “I am looking forward to the challenge ahead and continuing to build the operations. I believe strongly in the buying group model” Allison said.  

Geoff will oversee all Australian telecoms operations. He will also provide leadership to Nick Paul, who is the CEO of the NZ telecoms business, and Iain Goldmann who is the CEO of the UK telecoms business. Geoff has 22 years experience in the telecommunications industry having run his own retail and business stores.

“I am delighted to support and grow the Leading Edge Telecoms business” said De Graaff.  “I believe that Leading Edge will continue to grow and develop with our Telco Partners as a major player in the Telecoms Business/retail space”.

Leading Edge Group also announced that Tony Middlebrook has temporarily been appointed to the role of Managing Director,  to assist in the transition to the new Management structure and to assist in identifying additional efficiencies.

Tony Middlebrook was previously CEO with Employers Mutual Ltd., a member based organisation with over 75,000 members nationwide.   Middlebrook was also Managing Director of Coal Services P/L, an industry-owned organization providing health, safety, training and insurance services to the NSW coal industry. 

“There are some terrific growth opportunities and efficiencies for the Leading Edge Group, and the business is positioning well to maximize these opportunities” said Middlebrook.   “It is now about implementing the strategies that will continue to improve our strong value proposition for members whilst growing the business.”

“There are also exciting opportunities for our telecommunications business in Australia, New Zealand and the U.K.,” he continued.   “I am very excited to be working with the management team at Leading Edge Group to maximize all the opportunities for the Group.”

Tony Middlebrook took up his new position on December 5th.

Wine Plus:  Supporting sport, lifestyle and community.   The Leading Edge group and their Sport team have recently launched a new program entitled Wine Plus.

The Wine Plus program leverages exclusive wine offers and incentives to enable social groups, organisations and clubs to offer something special to their members. Purchases that are made from the promotion result in a commission being paid back to the club or organisation. 

To read more click here:  https://secure1.impactdata.com.au/utils/pages/5226/20111206_DecemberNewsletter/readMore_wineplus.html
 

Carla Bridge (Inside Retail) talks to Margarita Ivanchenko, General Manager,  LEADING EDGE LINGERIE.  The founder of a Sydney lingerie retailer has stepped back from her company in order to set up and run a lingerie buying group she feels will save specialty lingerie retailers from certain doom.

"The cost of running a business has skyrocketed - there’s increases in staffing costs, rents, insurances and electricity, so we’re hit by decreasing sales and increasing costs. Whatever margin you achieve is eroded,” Ivanchenko explained of the current state of specialty lingerie retail.

Enter buying group, Leading Edge Group, which already had established itself in eight other categories and was looking to add to its stable.

“It wasn’t just, come along and we’ll negotiate on the strength of membership with suppliers and get you a better invoice discount - there’s a huge marketing machine at Leading Edge,” said Ivanchenko of her decision to take on the role of GM for Leading Edge Lingerie.

In addition to negotiating prices for its members, Leading Edge also looks after marketing, advertising and other behind the scenes costs such as eftpos rates, signage, insurances, fleet car discounts, fuel cards, printing, and office consumables. It has more than 40 areas of business operations to which it offers its members discounted rates.

Carla Bridge.  From Inside Retail, 25 November 2011

At a recent Global LG-Ericsson Conference in Malaysia, Leading Edge Telecoms received the prestigious Best Dealer of the Year 2011 award for LG Ericsson Business Phone Systems.

The award was presented to Geoff de Graaff ( CEO Leading Edge Telecoms) and Eugene De Francesco ( GM Leading Edge Telecoms)  by Jae-Ryung Lee, Global CEO of LG Ericsson.

Geoff de Graaff said “This is a tribute to the hard work and dedication to our fantastic members in Australia”

This year Leading Edge Telecoms has won the following prestigious Awards:

-Telstra Business Partner of the Year 2011 award
-TBS Partner of the Year 2011 award
-Aria Technologies Diamond Partner of the Year award
-Aria Technologies TBS Partner of the Year award.

Leading Edge Telecoms members are committed to achieving accreditation, training and continually serving their customers, and these awards are a tribute to their hard work and success.

Leading Edge Telecoms hosted one of its most successful Conference from October 6th to October 10th.  saw   This year’s event was held at Novotel Twin Waters Resort on the Sunshine Coast, home of Gillette's Greatest Athlete competition ( although there were not very many Athletes present in this group of Telco professionals).

With a revised format allowing for a more team building exercises, there was a more relaxed attitude and feel towards the annual Conference.  Team building exercises included Segways, laser target shooting and Human Foosball.

The evening functions were a hit, with the Wild Wild West Theme featuring Country Dancing, Boot Scooting and a Mechanical Bull, with plenty of colourful interpretations of how Wild Wild West really was.  At the Gala Dinner we were entertained by dual Olympian Brennon Dowrick,  motivating us on how to achieve our goals through hard work and determination, with some very athletic moves on the Pommel Horse being added for fun.

The awards ceremony saw some of our members rewarded for their hard work over the last 12 months. These stores who won prizes on the night were:

Retail Sales Award – LET Yeppoon

Business Sales Award - LET Bankstown

Shining Star Award (Consumer) – LET Portland

Shining Star Award (Business) – LET Tamworth

Best Presented Metro Store – LET Salisbury

Best Presented Regional Store – LET Naracoorte

Member Compliance Contribution Awards – Trish Thomas

The Trade Show was a success with Members and Exhibitors both getting plenty of feedback and direction on what exciting products will be arriving in the future.   Overall the conference was a huge success with many members going home motivated and refreshed for a booming Christmas season.

Leading Edge Jewellery recently completed their biggest conference in a decade, with a record number of members in attendance.

Our members enjoyed a 3 day jam-packed conference in Darling Harbour.  They were exposed to exclusive indent ranges, upcoming promotional opportunities, a huge local supplier tradeshow event, jewellery specific retail training, online solutions, jewellery retail reporting / statistics, and more!  They also had a ball during the member ‘minute to win it’ team building night,  and let their hair down at the 70's inspired Annual Awards Evening.

Following the Conference, members attended the Sydney International Jewellery Fair at the Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, where Leading Edge Group showcased another divine members lounge! 

The recent Leading Edge Electronics Conference at the Sheraton Mirage, Port Douglas was a huge success, with over 150 people attending from all different states across Australia.

The Trade Show ran over two days, with all suppliers showing their exciting new products & sharing information with our members. The theme of the Conference was “Back to Basics", and we took our members through many of the basic fundamentals of retailing. We also had a great range of speakers including Layne Beachley & Andrew Griffiths.  Once all formalities were over the excitement fun & laughter started - with magician Matt Hollywood , who keep the crowd entertained with his tricks & humor.

On the final night we headed off to an exciting secret location - dinner at the famous “Flames of the Forest” ,where we were greeted with  fire dancing performances.  The Conference finished with a spectacular firework display!

Feedback from members and suppliers confirms that this was our best Conference ever!

Leading Edge Books has announced that 23 former Angus and Robertson (A&R) franchise stores have joined their Group, with another 4 stores currently being processed or in discussion.

Galina Marinov, Marketing and Buying Manager, confirmed that Leading Edge Books will be producing a second catalogue this Christmas, in addition to the Independent Bookseller’s Summer Reading Guide.   This new Christmas Gift catalogue will include many commercial titles and will run for 5 weeks prior to Christmas.  It will appeal directly to the former A&R customer.

Simon Milne said that Leading Edge Books now represents over 200 independent stores in Australia.  “In this tough retail environment many booksellers are choosing the independent model.  In addition to the former A&R franchise stores, 10 other independent bookshops have joined our Group this year.  We are excited that the independent sector has grown its market share to over 23%, and our members continue to innovate and diversify for the future”.

Leading Edge Telecoms Announced 2011 Telstra Business Partner of the Year - Leading Edge Telecoms has beaten rivals to become Telstra's Business Partner  of the Year at the Telstra Dealer Conference held in Port Douglas.

The event was staged by Telstra to recognize the achievements of its most  valued Partners across Australia. The event was attended by over 600 partners  at the Sheraton Mirage in Port Douglas. The Partner of the Year awards saw Telstra's major Partners judged at each  tier on levels of performance and service for the period between 1 July 2010  and 31 March 2011.

The award was presented by Charles Agee Executive Director Telstra Small  Business and newly appointed Gordon Ballantyne Telstra Chief Customer Officer

Geoff DeGraaff CEO of Leading Edge Telecoms was quoted as saying "We are  delighted to have won the Business Partner of the Year Award, which recognizes  the achievements of the whole team at Leading Edge Group Telecoms. Our long  term commitment to training and development is based on our recognition that  skills are absolutely essential to success, making a real difference both  for individuals and to our performance as a company. During 2010, we have  further increased our sales skills and competences to enable us to achieve in  very demanding industry.

Winning the Business Partner of the Year Award is a tremendous accolade and  we are especially delighted to win it in the year given the current economic  climate. Innovation in Telstra's products and business processes has been  one of the main reasons for our sustainability in a fast changing, highly  competitive marketplace."

That was not the only award Leading Edge Telecoms won on the night with  Leading Edge Telecoms being announced TBS Partner of the Year 2011 as well  indicating that Leading Edge is the best place to go for all of your business  telecommunications solutions. These two awards give a great indication of the commitment to service  Leading Edge Telecoms gives its customers.

Leading Edge Jewellery identified long ago that the independent jeweller did not have the means to be competitive in digital media on a single store level.  Through the strength of the parent company, Leading Edge Group Ltd (which supports over 1500 independent retailers across 14 divisions), they have put together a comprehensive web / social media / direct marketing and e-commerce platform for all members to access.  The jewellery division (159 members stores) was the first group to adopt the new platform and every member was presented with their very own website, completely customisable and administrated to suit their own individual store requirements and needs.

This web tool has been developed in-house by the Leading Edge Head Office support network and was designed and constructed specifically for the jewellery marketplace.  “We are so pleased to say that take-up was almost 100% and we are now in the process of setting up the sites for members.  It is so important to first and foremost represent the most important brand in the marketplace which is ‘your own store’ whether you are branded Leading Edge Jewellers or John Smiths Jewellers, the look and feel of their websites will reflect each stores very own personality.” Josh Zarb, General Manager commented.

“We have been able to build the site in-house with our own IT team. The look and feel was designed by our own marketing team, and the sites will be hosted and backed up within the existing Leading Edge Group frame work.” Josh added.

 FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Joshua Zarb – General Manager – Leading Edge Group  02 9497 4077       zarbj@leadingedgegroup.com.au

St Vincent de Paul's CEO Sleepout Rise to the Challenge was held on 16 June at Luna Park!

Our two fearless and courageous CEOs faced up to the challenge and took themselves off to Luna Park where they were issued their ration of cardboard and allocated their space on the concrete for a cold night sleeping out!

The event was well supported and in NSW, 256 CEO's took on the challenge and slept out in the cold.
Thankfully the rain gods stayed away as it was touch and go during the day with heavy downfalls!

The total amount raised was just over $3.8M with NSW contribut-ing $1.38M. Both Gavin and Simon raised between them $5,460 which was a fantastic effort for their first year of participating in this event!

Gavin said he enjoyed the whole experience and learned that the biggest problem for homeless people is the feeling of loneliness and isolation despite being surrounded by thousands of people. We need to take time to talk to people and not ignore them and treat them like outcasts. A feeling of belonging is the beginning of hope. Simon also enjoyed his experience and they are both looking forward to participating in next year's event! We applaud their efforts well done!

http://www.ceosleepout.org.au/

Kind Regards,
Roniece Dawson-Bruce

Over recent months I have been discussing our objective to launch a new and exciting Group which will focus on the specialist independent Lingerie market. I am very pleased that I can now formally announce that May 1st marked the official launch of our newest Group, Leading Edge Lingerie.

There is a solid base of independent Lingerie stores across Australia, and Leading Edge Lingerie will bring together a strong group of retailers and suppliers to grow the independent lingerie sector.

I am also delighted to announce the appointment of Margarita Ivanchenko as General Manager of Leading Edge Lingerie. Margarita has enjoyed many years of retailing experience within the lingerie and sleepwear industry, firstly with David Jones, then with Bras ‘n Things and Lin and Barrett.

Leading Edge Lingerie will focus on the needs of members and suppliers in the industry to develop, marketing and sales programs that will reduce operating costs, drive sales and increase profitability. As with all of our Groups, good communication is a key objective so that we match the needs of this valuable business community.

As with the growth of many of our Groups, a lot of our initial membership referrals have come from existing members and suppliers who already recognise the benefits of being a part of Leading Edge. If you are aware of any independent lingerie retailer who is passionate, motivated and you believe would make a valuable member of the Lingerie Group, please put them in touch with Margarita or pass the details to your Group Manager who can refer them on.

Kind Regards
Gavin Ward
Chief Executive Officer, Buying Group

The Non Trade Benefits program has always been a corner stone of our offer to members. Over the years we have continually sort to develop these benefits in line with feedback from each Group.

The ability to leverage off the buying power of almost 1500 stores is a powerful inducement for potential suppliers to deliver a strong offer.

I am pleased to advise that we have now formed a strategic alliance with EMSquared, a company who
dedicates their talents in this area and who already boast a client base which is considerably larger than Leading Edge. It is our belief that as a combined force we can develop an increasingly diverse range of benefits with greater value for members.

So how does this affect you?
In reality very little will change. We will update our portal to provide a new list of enhanced benefits with more information on each. The main reason that you need to be aware of the alliance is that from time to time you will see that a new benefit will be in the name of EMSquared and as such I want to ensure that members recognise the association so that they can gain the maximum benefit.

Further Advice as Benefits Expand
Of course as the alliance delivers additional advantages for members we will provide periodic updates
through each Group as well as listing the updated benefits on the extranet.

We are always seeking to expand our range of benefits so if you are aware of any specific needs in your business with which you feel Leading Edge may be able to assist by leveraging our combined buying power, please do not hesitate to let us know.

If you have any specific questions regarding this new initiative please feel free to let me know, or follow up with your respective Group General Manager.

Regards
Gavin Ward
Chief Executive Officer, Buying Group

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Leading Edge Group has secured another exciting growth opportunity.

On Tuesday this week we were notified that we had been awarded the Telstra Business Centre for Eastern Sydney. This is by size “rated” as the 4th largest GEOzone in Australia, which suggests that there are significant opportunities and revenue growth to follow.

Matt Sumner, who has been leading our Business Face to Face team here at Gordon will be the TBC Eastern Sydney Manager, and this operation will fall under the recently acquired business (Telstra Business Centre Box Hill) that will continue to be managed by Geoff De Graaff and his team.

In terms of the recent acquisition this will now give the new company, in time, a strong Sydney presence in the Telstra Business Centre vertical. This business will operate under our Telstra Dealership Agreement and will comply with the LET group’s policy on competition between members.

Securing this opportunity was a considerable undertaking spanning some 2 months and demonstrated what can be achieved when we work as a team.

Regards,
Simon Allison

It gives me great pleasure to announce an exciting growth opportunity for Leading Edge Group. We have today signed a contract to acquire a Melbourne based business which operates a Telstra Business Centre in Box Hill

http://www.telstrabusiness.com/business/portal/online/regions/tbscaboutus/theteam.86161

and a Telstra Business Sales office in Brisbane. The business employs 80 people across its two sites, and has been very successful in selling across the key Telstra product categories of voice, data, mobiles and phone systems. The business also has a Data and IT division which amongst other things installs and maintains phone systems and IT equipment.

This new business compliments many of our existing ventures, such as Computer Care Australia and much of our Telecoms Group. We have already applied for this business to operate a Telstra Business Centre in East Sydney and the discussions with Telstra to bring this about are progressing.

This new business, to be headed by the former owner and Managing Director Geoff de Graaff, will operate in the Business Services division of Leading Edge Group as a standalone company and report into me. This business will operate under our Telstra Dealership Agreement.

Securing this opportunity and negotiating this acquisition has been a major undertaking spanning some 8 months and a real team effort. I would like to acknowledge and thank Allan Evans for his considerable help and support. I would also like to thank Tim Mills who has also been a major contributor to us securing this opportunity and has supported us tirelessly with his usual enthusiasm and commitment.

I would also like to acknowledge and thank our Chairman Cameron McCullagh for his guidance and support, and the contribution of our Board and Gavin Ward.

We will now work to execute the Telstra Business Centre contract over the next few weeks and action the many tasks required to complete the acquisition.

Kind Regards
Simon Allison
CEO Business Services Group

Come & join us for a coffee & experience how we blow the Jewellery Industry away! The JAA International Jewellery Fair (IJF) is the Australian jewellery industry?s opportunity to attend a premium event to stock up on all the latest products in the important pre-Christmas buying period.

“Held on August 29 – 31, 2010 at Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, this is a must-attend event on the Australian jewellery industry calendar”, said Gary Fitz-Roy, Managing Director, Expertise Events. 

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The International Jewellery Fair delivers a comprehensive mix of new product launches, education, business strategy and inspiring jewellery design that reflects global and regional market needs.
„The Fair in 2010 will continue to be the best way to keep informed of the latest trends in jewellery design, enhance your knowledge and prepare yourself for the future of your business and your own professional growth”.

On show will be a feature display of the JAA Australian Jewellery Awards entries. The Awards are acknowledged as the jewellery industry?s most eminent competition. Renowned for showcasing the country?s impressive creative talents, the Awards celebrate excellence in design, craftsmanship and creativity. The display is a unique and exclusive opportunity for visitors to the Fair to see all the entry pieces prior to the winners being announced.

The JAA will be conducting two industry seminars on Monday August 30, covering the State of the Industry and other important industry issues.

”The Fair is an opportunity for retailers to keep themselves up-to-date with industry issues and to network with other members of the industry. Knowledge is a powerful tool in the modern retailing world and we are working on additional services to be announced that will add to our program at the Fair”, said Gary Fitz-Roy.

Networking facilities include the popular Brilliance Champagne and Oyster Bar, which was a welcome addition to the Fair floor in 2009. Lustre changes direction and will now be a noodle bar. Both areas are designed to enhance the visitor experience at the Fair.

For visitor or exhibition information visit www.internationaljewelleryfair.com.au or call +61 2 9452 7575.

Why is this so important?

Currently, cancer is the biggest disease killer of our teenagers and because there are no specialised services or facilities, the chance of surviving certain cancers decreases by 50% the day you turn 16! Building youth cancer centres will improve this situation immediately.

Can people donate phone chargers and batteries?

Yes. Batteries and phone chargers should be placed inside the collection bins only and not in an envelope.

Can people donate mobile phone accessories such as my headset and mobile phone cover?

Sorry, we cannot accept mobile phone accessories.

What happens to the SIM cards if people leave them inside their phone?

Don’t worry, all SIM cards are destroyed. All information stored in donated mobile phones is also completely erased.

How can people donate their mobile phones?

There are a number of ways people can donate their mobile phone that is quick and easy:
a) Using our free post envelopes – these are inserted in a range or newspapers and magazines each month. Envelopes are also available from all businesses housing bins (attached to bin).
b) Mobile phone collection bin – available at range of retail stores including Leading Edge Computer stores. 
c) Free post label – people can print off their own free post label from www.youcan.org.au. Simply stick that onto your own envelope or parcel and pop it in the post.
Order an envelope online – available for those requiring at least 50 envelopes. Available from www.youcan.org.au

The main partners in this campaign are Sony Foundation and CanTeen. Folamh Australia is the recycling arm of the campaign.

You can also visit the campaign website – www.youcan.org.au.

To watch out TVC please visit You Tube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxW4TFJdatw

Leading Edge Digital, a division of Leading Edge Group with over 1,300 independent retailers throughout Australasia has opened its first wholly owned Kodak Express Digital store on Sydney’s Northern Beaches in a Stockland centre.

Michael Carr, General Manager of Leading Edge Digital, comments that the reason for opening a wholly owned store was so that Leading Edge Digital and its support team could absorb itself in the photographic business and gain “hands on” experience in the day to day operation of such a store and the consumer interface. Thus leading to an intimate knowledge of the market to better service customers. This store provides a full range of photographic services unsurpassed by any other local photographic outlet and hence of major benefit to local customers.

This store becomes part of over 120 Kodak Express Digital stores for whom, in partnership with Kodak, Leading Edge Digital provides Marketing services with ongoing promotion, inclusive of regular consumer catalogues, in store promotions and point of sale.

More specifically, over 50 Kodak Express Digital stores have elected to become full members of Leading Edge Digital which entitles them to a wide range of retail support services which would otherwise not be available to them as small independent retailers.

For a very modest monthly investment, members obtain significant benefits by becoming part of a ‘family’ of like minded retailers with the strength and ability to combat the majors in an ever increasingly competitive Australian market, supported by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic team.

Major benefits are the facility to buy at bulk rates, the ability to deal with just one creditor in terms of payment for merchandise and attendance at an annual Conference to view the latest product, talk to suppliers and benefit from others’ experience.

Plus there is a fully maintained website, exclusively for members, to catch up on the latest industry news, upcoming offers and to share the experience of others.

Other benefits include discounts on EFPTOS rates, business insurance, fixtures and fittings, vehicle fleet discounts and many more.

For further information about the exciting possibilities available to members of Leading Edge Digital, please contact Michael Carr on 02 9497 4057 or carrm@leadingedgegroup.com.au