Welcome to the August newsletter.

From the Back Office
Welcome to the August edition of the POPES Newsletter. There’s been plenty of activity in the POPES branches this month with the launch of our Facebook page, as well as promotions on LED Downlights. It’s that time of year as well when tipping comps around the country start to heat up as the front runners go conservative and try to cling to their leads while the chasers start looking for upsets. Yes, August is make or break time. There is still plenty happening in sport overseas. We’ve seen the Tour de France and Wimbledon both run and won, but right now the Aussies are in trouble in the Ashes and the Wallabies appear to be coming good in the 2015 Rugby Championship. With 2 Bledisloe Tests in August lets hope the boys have a successful build up to the Rugby World Cup in September and October.

This edition has news on some award winning products from both HPM Legrand and Clipsal as well as a new height safety website that’s been launched by the ACT Government. There’s an interesting article on the effects of power factor on the electrical system which will help many people get a better understanding of this important issue.

As always, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line with any newsletter ideas or suggestions or any feedback (good or bad) with POPES.

All the best,
Daryl

August Deal of the Month - Werner Ladder Run Out Clearance!

Grab a new fibreglass ladder in this one-off, never to be repeated deal. $125 + 12.50 GST for the 2.4m single sided fibreglass step ladder. 30% OFF all other Werner ladders in stock.
Checkout more details here - Werner Ladder Deal

POPES are on Facebook!
Jump on and check out our page here. We will be updating the page each week with latest deals, promotions, new products, newsletters and respond to questions. Jump on and like the page to receive the latest POPES content delivered to your news feed.

New Height Safety Website Launched

The ACT Minister for Workplace Safety, Mick Gentleman MLA, launched a new website, developed by WorkSafe ACT to support business, workers and other stakeholders working to reduce the likelihood of incidents arising from a failure to work safely at height. Working at heights is a risk common to all sparkies and I recommend you check out the new website here.

The effect of Power Factor on the Electrical System
Power Factor in electrical systems is often referred to but frequently not fully understood. This blog post by Iconic Energy discusses power factor with an explanation and how it relates to generator systems. Read more here .

HPM Legrand wins Prestigious Gemcell Product of the Year award

Congratulations to HPM Legrand and their Excel Life Dual USB module which took out this years Gemcell Gems Product of the Year. As voted by readers of the Gemcell Gems this product outlasted its competitors from NHP, Pierlite, CABAC, Schneider Electric and Prysmian Cables. Read more here .

Grab a $100 fuel card with POPES M-Elect Mates Rates 10W deal

Drop into any POPES store this month and purchase a carton of M-Elec Mates Rates 10W downlights and walk out with a $100 fuel card.

Economic Update
The following updates have been provided by the Canberra Business Chamber over the past month.

ACT Economy Ranked Sixth Nationally
CommSec's latest State of the States report, which ranks the states and territories by analysing eight key economic indicators, shows that NSW retains the top position, followed by Victoria and the NT. The ACT remains in sixth position, with strong results in housing finance (1st) and economic growth (3rd), offset by relatively poor results in retail spending (6th), construction work (7th) and equipment investment (8th). Read more here.

ACT Living Standard Declines
The National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM) has released its latest Household Budget Report which shows that over the past year, the living standard nationally increased by 1.1%, while in the ACT it fell by 0.6% - the only jurisdiction to record a negative result. NATSEM believes that Federal Government cuts to the public service account for the decline. Read more here.

Business Outlook
The latest Deloitte Access Economics Business Outlook report shows that despite the slowdown in China, global growth is improving due to recoveries in the US and UK. Falling commodity prices mean that Australia's growth will remain below trend, however inflation is subdued, the balance of trade has improved and the outlook for employment growth is solid. In the ACT, the economy is improving, however Access believes that the ACT's economic outlook won't be positive until the Federal Budget outlook improves. Read more here.

Clipsal’s Saturn Zen wins Australian design award

Clipsal Saturn Zen has been recognised with a Good Design Award in the Hardware and Building category at this year’s Australian Good Design Awards. “Saturn Zen is a beautiful combination of elegance and simplicity and the designers have created an innovative solution for wall switches and power outlets that will complement any interior fit out,” said the Australian Good Design Award judges. Visit the Good Design Australia page here or Clipsal’s Saturn Zen page here.

Website of the month - Dummies.com

www.dummies.com - Everything you wanted to know but were too scared to ask.

Electrical Gems – Issue 128 August - September
The latest edition of the Gemcell Electrical Gems is now in store. Drop in store to pick up your copy, or visit Gemcell website to read it online.

Product of the Month

They Call Me Bruce… I mean Caitlyn

Kudos to the clever wit who posted this image that was doing the rounds on Canberra social media recently.

Supplier Price Updates
The following suppliers have announced upcoming price updates. If you have any queries relating to these price updates don’t hesitate to contact your local POPES branch manager for assistance.

NHP have announced a 3% price increase to the Rockwell Automation / Allen-Bradley range effective 24th August 2015

Quote Of The Month

“In my head I am sure Contador and Nibali and my other rivals are out there training just as hard as I am. So some days I add in intervals or do more specific training or more intensity and tell myself they’d never think to ride like this — this is where I get my advantage.” - Chris Froome. 2 Time Winner Tour de France 2013, 2015.

EXPLORE THE POPES WEBSITE