Connections
April/May 2014 Powered by indiCo / Uniting Independents
Dallas by the Numbers
Paula Haerr
VP Retail Services
Months of preparation go into creating the
Connect2One experience at CAMEX and here are just a
few of the facts and figures.
16 NEW Members
50 Products Shared at the Idea Exchange
70 What’s Hot Slides
125 Vendor Partners
500 Goody Bags Stuffed
600 Slides in the C2O In-Depth Reviews
800 C2O Buyers at CAMEX
1,000 Pages in the C2O Program Catalogs
2,000 Picks Labels and Ribbons
The entire Connect2One team pulled off a great effort
culminating in a week to remember in Dallas. One of
the biggest surprises of the C2O Education Day was the
fabulous debut of our new supply guru, Robb Faust. Not
only did Robb supply the facts and figures, he sang to our
attendees. Yes, clever songs with a “Hey Robb” twist such
as “Binders and notebooks and clip strips a plenty” sung
to the tune of “These are a few of my favorite things”.
And, all the effort is worth it when it comes down to
serving you, our 600+ members. We have 16 new stores
joining us this month including four stores in Canada,
three K-12 stores, three community college stores, one
private store and Bermuda College Bookstore. I think we
definitely need to visit that last one!
Thanks to all of you who came to the C2O Education
Day and stopped by our C2O booth. Let’s do it again in
Atlanta in 2015.
Holy Innocents’ Campus Shop at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School
Director Hilda Wiggs - hilda.wiggs@hies.org
Campus Store at Morrisville State College
Manager Donald Rhyde - rhydedo@morrisville.edu
The Bookstore at Western at Western University Canada
Director Steve Alb - salb@uwo.ca
UBC Bookstore at University of British Columbia
Manager Debbie Harvey - debbie.harvie@ubc.ca
Ships Store at Admiral Faragut Academy
Manager Lacey Baker - lbaker@farragut.org
Rockets Bookstore serving University of Toledo
Manager Maan Barazi - maan@barazi.com
Westmont College Bookstore
Manager Joanne Gish - jgish@westmont.edu
Kansas City Kansas Community College Bookstore
Director Mark Miller - rmiller@kckcc.edu
LC Shoppe at Liberty Christian School
Director Karen Barr - karen.barr@libertychristian.com
MSU – Northern Bookstore at Montana State University – Northern
Manager Sue Solomon - susan.solomon1@msun.edu
CASC Bookstore at Carl Albert State College
Manager Terri Hardin - thardin@carlalbert.edu
South Arkansas Community College Bookstore
Manager Linda Rathbun - lrathbun@southark.edu
Cowley College Bookstore at Cowley County Community College
Director Shannon O’Toole - otooles@cowley.edu
University of Lethbridge Bookstore
Manager Annette Bright - bright@uleth.ca
Ryerson University Bookstore
Director Kelly Abraham - kabraham@ryerson.ca
Bermuda College Bookstore
Manager Jacqueline Wade - jwade@college.bm
April/May 2014
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C2O Idea Exchange – Best Sellers from Dallas
Michelle Johnson
Program Manager
The C2O Idea Exchange in
Dallas proved, once again, that
college store buyers are on top of
current trends and love to share
them with fellow buyers. Here
are some of the highlights:
Best Sellers in Apparel
JanSport Quarter Zip
Potsdam Siberia T-Shirt
You can’t get much hotter
than Quarter Zips! Carol Cox,
Associate Director at the UCSB
Bookstore in Santa Barbara,
showed their most popular one
from JanSport. They offer it in 3
colors; burgundy, graphite and
black with a traditional tackle
twill design. They’ve sold over
1,650 pieces in the last year – now
that’s a winner! Bonnie Mueller,
East Regional Sales Manager for
JanSport, says “The JanSport EZee
¼ Zip is our top selling style. You
cannot beat the soft, cozy fleece
fabric and premium construction
details that make it one of a
kind. The generous spec, variety
of colors and the multitude of
graphic options makes this style
a must have for everyone on
campus.”
Jessie Pike, Buyer at
The College Store of
Potsdam, knows a sense
of humor can get you
through most anything
including the very cold
weather they experienced
in New York this past
winter. Their “Welcome
to Potsdam/Siberia” navy
blue t-shirt from TLC
Sportswear was an instant
best seller, selling 144
Hump Day T-Shirt
pieces between Christmas
and March 1. Jessie had another big hit with her “Hump Day”
t-shirt also from TLC Sportswear. We can all relate to that! They
did the design on both white and maroon and have sold over 288
in the past 6 months.
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Under Armour Sports Bra
Performance-wear continues
to be a growing category and
Elizabeth Howard, Merchandise
& Trade Book Coordinator, at
The Loch Shop at Clayton State
University in Morrow, GA showed
2 styles from Under Armour.
The Women’s category is Under
Armour’s fastest growing category
and one reason is the success of
the Sports Bra. The Loch Shop has
sold over 176 pieces in the last 8
months. The Men’s category is also
growing in sales and shorts are key.
The Loch Shop just got in the “You
Can’t Deny it” short and expects it
to be a best seller as well. The High
Vis Yellow/Black color combo has
proved to be a big winner!
Under Armour Shorts
Samsill Binders
What’s Selling
in Supplies
Wyoming Mascot T-shirt
Graphics often drive the sales of certain items in the store and
that’s true of the “word” graphics presented by Cathy Armijo,
Buyer at the University Bookstore at the University of Wyoming.
Cathy did a word graphic on a t-shirt from Champion and a
similar graphic on binders from Samsill. Cross-merchandising
these items led to increased sales for both. The store sold 200
binders during the fall back-to-school season and 250 t-shirts in
12 months.
Connections
April/May 2014
Want to add a little fashion
flair to your supplies department?
That’s exactly what Tina Cleveland,
Director of Bookstore Operations
at the Harvard-Westlake Middle
School Bookstore in Los Angeles,
did in her store. The designer
appeal of the Kate Spade brand has
been a big hit with her students. The
store has sold 52 cell phone covers
since December and 11 laptop
sleeves in just one month. Tina
buys them from D&H Distributing.
C2O Sessions Ready to Download
More than ½ of Connect2One members who attended
the C2O Education day at CAMEX use the session
handouts throughout the year when making buying
decisions. Email info@connect2One for your link to
these valuable resources.
Popular Fashion
Accessories
Cell Phone Covers
Red Carpet Scarves
Fashion scarves continue to
be a great source of revenue and
increased gross margin for college
stores. Jan McKinnon, General
Manager, at the Student Center
Bookstore at Northwestern
Michigan College has had great
success with scarves from Red
Carpet Studios. Wholesale prices
range from $3.33 to $5.50 and
the store retails them for $6.95
to $9.25. They’ve sold over 385
pieces in the last year. Jan says her
customers feel spoiled because of
the low retail prices! Red Carpet
Studios makes purchasing easy with
over 50 assortments usually sold in
small 9-15 piece assortments.
Rethinking
Shopping Bags
Many college stores
are opting out of plastic
shopping bags in favor
of more environmentally
friendly reusable tote bags.
Sheryl Fulk, Bookstore
Manager at the RoseHulman Bookstore in
Tote Bag Front
Terre Haute, IN, said the
store replaced their plastic
Tote Bag Back
bags with reusable tote
bags from Cote Associates/Uniflex Bags in 2009. Since the
reusable totes are higher priced the store sold advertising on
the back of the bag to local businesses including Circle K, Rollie’s
Pizza and Aramark to help cover costs.
You and your staff can have a front row seat at the
popular What’s Hot session that was recorded live in
Dallas. Simply visit CAMEX.org and scroll to the bottom
of the page to link to the audio slideshow.
April/May 2014
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April/May 2014
To relive all of the fun and tag
photos of you and your friends go to:
Facebook.com/connect2one
Vimeo.com/connect2one
April/May 2014
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Champion Announces
New Star Wars Collection
Champion and Star Wars have joined forces to bring product
to college bookstores that is OUT OF THIS WORLD. After a
successful launch at the CAMEX trade show in Dallas, customers
can order Champion core men’s, women’s and youth styles with
Star Wars graphics that incorporate their university. This new
product is approved to co-brand with colleges for at once delivery
on approved graphics. “The force is strong” with the Champion
and Star Wars brands and this partnership is a perfect fit for the
college market.
Did you know the college market has…
• Over 173 million fans…the largest fan base in all of sports.
• Over $4.6 billion in sales of collegiate merchandise in 2012.
• 29 million fans earn $100K+…the largest, most affluent
audience in all of sports.
• 18 Million millennials…the largest fan base among 18-24 year olds.
The iconic Star Wars brand has…
• Grossed $5.9 billion worldwide in box office sales.
• Grossed $25 billion+ in world wide retail sales.
• Become the best-selling boy’s toy license of all time and
#1 toy license in US for boys 6-11 in the last 7 years.
• 115 New York Times Best selling books and
125 million books in print in over 30 languages.
The Champion and
Star Wars partnership
brings together two
recognizable brand
forces that are
passionately supported
by their devoted fan
base. Both storied brands are embedded in our culture and at
their core celebrate humanity, exhilarating action and victory. No
longer “in a galaxy far, far away”, this Star Wars product is coming
soon to a bookstore near you!
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Connections
April/May 2014
Sensational Spring Sellers
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ASUS Transformer Book T100, T100TAB1GR. A convertible notebook
and tablet for the ultimate in flexibility. Delivers sharp graphics on the 10.1”
screen and up to 11 hours of battery life. SRP: $349.00
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GoPro HERO3+ Digital Camcorder, CHDHX302. Features waterproof
durability, video resolutions up to 1080p60, 10MP photos at up to 10 frames per
second, enhanced low-light performance and built-in Wi-Fi. SRP: $399.99
Sennheiser MOMENTUM On Ear
Headphones, MOMENTUMBLK.
Sounds the way it looks – rich,
clean, premium. Features buttery soft ear
cups and a custom fit slider headband.
Black. SRP: $199.99 Available in additional colors!
Incipio offGRID™ Express Backup Battery Case for iPhone®
5/5s, IPH1114BLK. With 10 hours
additional take time, this portable powerhouse extends your battery for more web
surfing, social media streaming, talk time
and more. Black. SRP: $69.99
LaCie 1TB Fuel Network Hard
Drive, LAC9000436U. Let’s students store 500+ movies or thousands of photos and songs, and access
them on their iPad/iPhone®/ Mac®. With
up to a 10-hour battery life, students can
enjoy their media all day, without needing
Internet or cables. SPR: $199
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200 Tablet,
SLATE7P4200. Employs a
powerful 1.3GHz NVIDIA Tegra3
quad-core processor and includes HP’s
ePrint technology, 7” multi-touch display,
Kingsoft Office and 25GB of free lifetime
cloud storage from Box. SRP: $149.99
Memorex 16GB Dual-Micro
TravelDrive™ Flash Drive,
MEM99278. Students can reclaim
their device’s storage space by transferring photos and videos onto this drive.
The swivel and slide capless design is
easy to carry and offers great protection.
SRP: $29.99
JBL Pulse Wireless Speaker,
JBLPULSEBLKAM. Delivers
unrivaled sound with 2 highperformance drivers and a built-in bass.
Features pre-programmed and custom
light themes controlled by the pulse of the
music. SRP: $199.99
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Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity &
Sleep Wristband, FB401BK. The
slim, stylish device tracks steps,
distance and calories during the day and
at night, it tracks sleep quality and wakes
you silently in the morning. SRP: $99.99
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ZAGG invisibleSHIELD®
10 Samsung Galaxy S®4 Screen
Protector, EDSAMGALS4CF. The
tough and durable ultra-thin film protects
their phone from scratches and dings.
SRP: $29.99
*For prices and additional details, contact your D&H Distributing representative at 800-340-1003.
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2013 ICS Rep of the Year:
Ray de Gravelle
After receiving a BS degree
in Forestry and Wildlife from
LSU, Ray managed a small state
park in Louisiana. Five years in,
Ray decided that this was not
his cup of tea. He entered the
office products industry and
hasn’t looked back. His career in
the college bookstore and office
supply dealer industry now
spans 31 years, and he currently
covers the Louisiana and
Mississippi territories for ICS.
Ray is happily married to the
love of his life, Claudia, and is
celebrating 19 years together.
They mentor 4 cats in Lafayette,
Louisiana – the heart of Cajun Country. Ray is an avid
LSU and the New Orleans Saints fan, attending 3 National
Championships and 1 Super Bowl. Ray loves to make people
happy. He says, “I have always strived to bring new, exciting
and fresh ideas to my customers that will help to invigorate
them as well as enhance their product offering and marketing
techniques. When I can help someone or bring something to
them to brighten their day, I feel it renews me as well.”
Congratulations, Ray!
Flash Reports
Retailing today requires
a successful combination
of both art and science.
While the art aspect is more
difficult to quantify, data is a fundamental part of any
science. And college stores can benefit from tracking and
analyzing their own operational data. A best practice in
retailing is to compare same-store sales over time to then
estimate or anticipate changes in sales going forward.
The Flash Reports, compiled by OnCampus Research,
offer same-store sales data that college stores can use to
compare departmental sales for the current month against
the same month in the previous year. Stores that can
effectively anticipate monthly sales are more likely to have
the appropriate levels of inventory and better control of
departmental margins.
The monthly reports are now available on the new
indiCo website to full-store members (http://indicouniting.com/RetailInsights/Industry). If your store is
interested in contributing to the Flash Report, please
contact Maria Meyer at mmeyer@nacs.org.
Turfer Sportswear
Turfer Sportswear has decided to withdraw from
the college market and has withdrawn the C2O
program offering. If you have any questions, contact
Michelle Johnson at mjohnson@connect2one.com.
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4350 Glendale-Milford Rd. Suite 240
Cincinnati, OH 45242
Phone: 800-563-9034 or 513-754-0111
Fax: 800-600-9034
connect2one.com
Paula Haerr, VP Retail Services Jeff Pavic, VP Retail Development
Vicky Gladish, Program Support
Michelle Johnson, Program Manager Ellen Broughton, Membership Manager
Cindy Cobb, Member Support
Robb Faust, Program Manager
Lori Cano, Membership Manager
Rob McLeod, Marketing
phaerr@connect2one.com
mjohnson@connect2one.com
rfaust@connect2one.com
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jpavic@indico-uniting.com
ebroughton@connect2one.com
lcano@connect2one.com
vgladish@connect2one.com
ccobb@connect2one.com
rob@connect2one.com
Connections
April/May 2014