Clarke University Partners with indiCo to Manage its Campus Bookstore
OBERLIN, OH — July 19, 2017 — Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa, has selected indiCo to operate its on-campus bookstore. Effective July 17, 2017, indiCo assumed management of the campus store and mailroom as part of a three-year agreement. The transition will take place over the coming months with a grand opening planned for fall 2017.
“After considering several options, it was clear that indiCo is the best solution for our campus,” said Daisy Halvorson, Clarke University vice president for business and finance. “We particularly liked their collaborative model, which aligns with Clarke’s values and culture. Additionally, it will provide our campus bookstore with economies of scale and a multitude of resources and innovative technologies that will allow us to provide lower costs for our students.”
“We’re very excited to have Clarke University as part of our campus store collaborative,” said Ed Schlichenmayer, president of indiCo. “We understand that every store is different, which is why we take a customized approach. Our team will partner with the store and the administration to ensure that the Whitlow Campus Store reflects Clarke’s culture and meets the needs of its students, faculty, alumni, and campus community.”
Launched in March 2017 by the National Association of College Stores, indiCo is a collaborative of independent campus stores committed to affordability and student success. indiCo provides an alternative to leasing by supporting self-operated campus stores through customized services that lower operational costs and keep more money in higher education.
indiCo offers a variety of options for campus stores, from individual services and tools to inclusive, full-service store management. The full-service store model, selected for the Whitlow Campus Store, provides:
- course materials management focused on providing students with affordable choices
- general merchandise sourcing and management customized to the specific campus community
- retail technology that covers everything from a high-performing point-of-sale system to bursar billing support and more
- management and training of store employees with support from indiCo’s campus store experts
- financial assessments to identify strengths and weaknesses and provide benchmarks with recommendations for improvement
- inventory management solutions to support successful forecasting and planning
“What we offer makes the most sense for campuses, students, faculty, and higher education overall. Unlike corporate lease operators, indiCo uses the strength of collaboration to lower costs and risks for the institutions. We focus on saving students money and keeping more dollars on campus, not increasing corporate profits.” said NACS Chief Executive Officer Robert A. Walton. “While Clarke University is the first store to join the collaborative since its launch just a few short months ago, we are in serious discussions with several other campuses and expect to make more announcements in the coming months.”
About Clarke
A four-year private nonprofit institution, Clarke University is a Catholic liberal-arts university situated on a 55-acre campus in the city of Dubuque, Iowa. Founded in 1843 by Mary Frances Clarke, foundress of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM), it is the only BVM university in the United States.
About indiCo
indiCo is a collaborative business model for operating campus stores that lowers the cost of higher education and improves student success. We offer campus administrators and store directors an alternative to leasing that supports self-operating their campus bookstores. indiCo combines the efficiency, buying power, and guidance promised by corporate lease operators with the flexibility and brand autonomy of an institutionally operated university store. Backed by its parent company, the National Association of College Stores (NACS), indiCo is a trusted partner with deep knowledge of campus stores and an established network of the industry’s leading vendors.
About the National Association of College Stores
The National Association of College Stores (NACS), headquartered in Oberlin, Ohio, is the professional trade association of the $10 billion campus store industry. NACS provides education and other resources that help its member stores support student success, the campus experience, and the academic missions of higher education institutions. The association represents all campus stores, which include nearly 4,000 campuses in the U.S. and Canada, and approximately 1,000 industry-related companies that supply course materials and other merchandise and services to campus stores.
For additional information, contact Jennifer Libertowski with indiCo at (800) 622-7498, ext. 2249 or by email at publicrelations@goindico.com.