Gaining Market Share with Quantity and Quality at Carolina Premium Beverage

Large format inkjet printers for point of saleYou would be hard-pressed to find someone who loves their job more than Sandy Woods, who runs the sign shop – make that “art department” – at Carolina Premium Beverage in Concord, N.C., which is near Charlotte.

“I prefer to call it the art department because I have a degree in art  and we really focus on design as opposed to just mass producing signs,” explains Woods. “I love what I do. I have been here at Carolina Premium Beverage for five years, and have been in design my entire career. I know in my heart that I will retire here. This is home to me; I love this company.”

Using typography for point of sale designThat attitude alone is worth its weight in ink, a.k.a. liquid gold, and the art department has been instrumental in making Carolina Premium Beverage’s brands, chief among them MillerCoors, tops in the distributor’s market, which includes Charlotte and about six surrounding counties.

As you can see by the samples pictured here, design takes precedence over everything else. It is that foundation which secures valuable, premium space for Carolina’s Premium Beverage’s point-of-sale graphics.

The second piece that builds on that foundation, and which ensures the quality and timeliness of the finished prints, is the right equipment and the personal support to go along with it. “I would never want to do my job without LexJet and Kelly [Price, Woods’ customer specialist],” says Woods. “Kelly is a life saver. Most of the time, I order materials a week out, but they’re usually here the next day. When there are occasions when I need to order something right away, she’s right on top of it; she’s awesome to work with. I have two Canon iPF8000S printers that I got from LexJet as well and I love them. They’re super fast and you can’t beat the quality. Those are my babies; I can’t live without them.”

Cooler wraps at the point of saleThe “Siamese Twins,” as Woods calls them, help ensure fast turnaround times for Carolina Premium Beverage’s accounts, which is another way in which the distributor beats its competitors to the punch at the point of sale. Woods, who runs the art department by herself, also has an OKI laser printer for cooler tags, table tents and other small format point of sale.

“Our goal was to surpass the main competitor in our market, and we’ve largely succeeded. Part of that success is the fact that we can get our point of sale out the door much quicker,” says Woods. Ultimately, it is possible, and necessary, to provide quantity and quality point of sale graphics in order to build market share.

She estimates that the art department produces about 3,600 banners and posters a year, not counting special events and venues, like the Carolina Panthers’ football stadium and the Bobcats’ basketball arena.

Point of sale design and printingWoods says her “go-to” print material is LexJet TOUGHcoat Water-Resistant Polypropylene, which she uses for both indoor and outdoor point-of-sale projects. She also uses LexJet 11 Mil Valeron Banner for outdoor projects that need extra durability, and Photo Tex adhesive fabric for cooler wraps and special events, such as a recent Sugarland concert at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Charlotte.

Special event and promotional bannersCarolina Premium Beverage was created in 2010 through the merger of three companies: Rudisill Enterprises of Gastonia, N.C., Cunningham Wholesale Company of Charlotte, and the Charlotte-based division of Caffey Distributing.

Each company has a long history in the beer distribution business. The owners of each company believed that by merging their businesses into one they could bring the best portfolio of beers to consumers in the Charlotte market area, says Woods. “It is our goal to be the leading beer supplier to retail customers serving consumers in the Charlotte area,” she adds.

High Five: LexJet’s Phoenix Distribution Center Now Shipping

Inkjet product shipment from PhoenixLexJet opened the fifth of five new distribution centers yesterday in Phoenix, bringing one-day ground delivery coverage to 90 percent of the lower 48 states and 98 of the top 100 major metropolitan areas. LexJet customers can receive same-day delivery within 30 to 50 miles of each distribution center, and pick up products at each location.

The Phoenix distribution center is located at:

4625 N. 45th Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85031

You can pick up LexJet products at the distribution center until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and receive same-day delivery if you order before noon. Check with a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538 about specific product availability and to find out if you fall within the same-day and one-day coverage areas.

LexJet’s other distribution centers are located in Albany, N.Y.; Birmingham; Charlotte; Cincinnati; Dallas; Denver; Jacksonville, Fla.; Los Angeles; Kansas City; Milwaukee; Minneapolis; Portland, Ore.; Reno; and Wilmington, Del. LexJet also ships OEM products from 30 warehouses across the U.S.

For more information about the Phoenix distribution center, LexJet’s state-of-the-art logistics network and Nationwide Delivery System, call 800-453-9538.

Same Day, One Day Delivery Now Available in Charlotte

One day shipping from Charlotte warehouseLexJet has opened the second of five new distribution centers scheduled to come on line this month. Customers in Charlotte can now pick up products and get same-day delivery to most of the Zip codes within 50 miles of the distribution center, located at:

1411 Continental Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28273

The new Charlotte LexJet distribution center supplements the one-day shipping coverage area provided at other regional distribution centers in Birmingham, Jacksonville and Wilmington, Del. Once the remaining three new LexJet distribution centers open in Kansas City, Phoenix and Portland, Ore., over the next couple of weeks, 90 percent of the nation in the lower 48 will be covered by one-day shipping convenience.

You can pick up your products at the Charlotte distribution center until 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, and receive same-day delivery if you order before noon Eastern Time. Check with a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538 about specific product availability and to find out if you fall within the same-day and one-day coverage areas.

LexJet’s other distribution centers are located in Albany, N.Y.; Birmingham; Cincinnati; Dallas; Denver; Jacksonville, Fla.; Los Angeles; Milwaukee; Reno; and Wilmington, Del. LexJet also ships OEM products from 30 warehouses across the U.S., including Minneapolis.

For more information about the Charlotte distribution center, LexJet’s state-of-the-art logistics network and Nationwide Delivery System, call 800-453-9538. Every time you call during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET), someone will answer your call within ten seconds and you’ll talk to a real person who can help.

For all the details and a map to LexJet’s Charlotte distribution center, go to www.lexjet.com/locations-charlotte-north-carolina.aspx

LexJet Extends its Nationwide Delivery Network to Five More Cities in July

One day and same day shipping for large format inkjet productsWith the addition of five new distribution centers to its nationwide Delivery Network next month, LexJet will reach 90 percent of the contiguous United States and 98 of the top 100 major metropolitan areas with one-day ground delivery, and customers in LexJet’s 15 distribution center cities can receive same-day delivery within a 30-50 mile radius of those cities.

The new distribution centers – scheduled to be fully online, operating and tied into LexJet’s real-time delivery tracking system in July – are located in Charlotte, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Phoenix and Portland.

“On-time, consistent delivery is extremely important to our customers. It gives them a competitive edge in their markets, it helps them reduce inventory and it ensures they meet every tight deadline,” explains John Lane, LexJet’s vice president. “The addition of five distribution centers to our Nationwide Delivery Network gives our customers the reach and flexibility they need to enhance and streamline their business, whether they’re print-for-pay providers, digital photographers, fine art reproduction companies, in-house corporate and public sector large format print facilities or anyone else involved in large format inkjet production.”

The new distribution centers join LexJet facilities in Albany, N.Y., Birmingham, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Jacksonville, Fla., Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Reno and Wilmington, Del. LexJet also ships OEM products from 30 additional warehouses across the United States.

“I can’t count how many times LexJet has totally gone above and beyond to get us materials next-day in order for us to put out a quality product,” says Bob Lizza, owner of Lizza Studios, Tunkhannock, Pa. “The LexJet team is always there to answer questions and get us whatever we need in an expedited fashion. They’ve been a big part of our success.”

The expansion of LexJet’s Nationwide Delivery Service follows the company’s move to a new state-of-the-art technology center in Sarasota, Fla., where LexJet customers receive free and unlimited personal support and service coupled with the power of real-time networks tied directly into LexJet’s distribution centers.

For more information about LexJet’s new distribution centers, its Nationwide Delivery System, and specifics about one-day and same-delivery areas, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538.