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BEREAN, STANDARD DIVISIONS

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NELSON’S FUTURE? IT’S PRIVATE

STANDEX INTL. CORP. RECENTLY sold its Berean Christian Stores and Standard Publishing divisions in two separate transactions.

Berean Christian Stores management and Boston-based private-equity firm JMH Capital acquired Berean. New York-based private equity firm The Wicks Group of Companies, LLC, bought Standard Publishing (now Standard Publishing Group) for an undisclosed amount in an all-cash transaction.

1996, after which it was ineligible to receive the award again.

“We’re thrilled to know the store to which we have dedicated our lives will continue to serve the Louisville area,” said Ward. “ Berean will have a fantastic store with a strong history. A company dedicated to furthering the message of Christ to our customers and churches will serve our customers. It’s a great fit for all involved.”

Berean Christian Stores has 16 locations in five states—California, Arizona, Indiana, Ohio, and Georgia.

UPCOMING TITLES BY TOP AUTHORS, a new Bible merchandising program, and

BEREAN CHRISTIAN STORES

Berean President-CEO Les Dietzman said the acquisition was good news for employees: “The opportunity to continue to serve our customers as we have done for over 70 years was our goal. Berean has a long history of providing Christian resources for churches and Christian product shoppers. We look forward to serving our current markets and looking for new growth opportunities.”

On the same day Berean announced its new ownership, the chain acquired The Wellspring Christian Book Center ( Louisville, KY) from Ward and Anita Wells. The Wells founded Wellspring in 1976. It was named CBA Store of the Year from 1992-

STANDARD PUBLISHING GROUP

The Wicks Group appointed a new president for Standard Publishing Group, former Harcourt Religion Publishers President Matthew Thibeau, who replaces Randy Scott.

“We look forward to leveraging the expertise of Standard’s talented staff to further strengthen its position in the religious publishing market,” Thibeau said. “We’ll continue to produce the highest quality products for our customers in church markets while also developing new titles and products for additional areas we believe are poised for growth.”

BIBLE SELECTION GETS EASIER

AT THE INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN Retail Show 2006 in July, Thomas Nelson announced findings from a joint research project with the Barna Group indicating major change was needed in the way Bible products are merchandised and sold. Nelson Bibles Publisher Wayne Hastings said the company is leading an initiative to transform Bible merchandising.

Nelson-Barna research showed customers are spending on average 21 minutes to make their Bible purchases, with many still leaving stores empty-handed, Hastings said the data showed current merchandising systems aren’t aligned with how consumers shop for Bibles.

Nelson’s new merchandising system uses simple, color-coded merchandising and a

clearly defined shopping guide categorized by need to help customers select a Bible in three steps or fewer. Benefits also include greater flexibility in cross-merchandising opportunities and streamlined clerk training.

Simplifying the Bible-buying process also frees customers to spend more time shopping for other items in Christian retail stores. Hastings reported that 50% of Bible customers said they were likely to also purchase a book, and 21% of shoppers said they’d likely buy music. Satisfied customers are also more likely to be repeat customers.

Thomas Nelson sales representatives will begin presenting the merchandising system to their accounts in January 2007. Nelson predicts 90% of chain CBA accounts will be on-board with the project.

global expansion mark Thomas Nelson’s first few months as a privately held company.

“Going private enables us to be more strategic in achieving our goals,” said Nelson President Michael Hyatt, who met with ASPIRINGRETAIL at the International Christian Retail Show.

According to Hyatt, the company’s mission hasn’t changed as a result of its acquisition by InterMedia Partners. Nelson has the same vision and goals as it did prior to going private.

“We’re a worldwide purveyor of books congruent with a Christian worldview,” Hyatt said. Nelson, which has an office in China and is opening one in Brazil, will continue to focus on global strategies.

The publisher plans to be more intentional about its product content. For instance, it’ll still publish gardening books but will ensure they’re implicitly Christian. Titles likely to be trimmed are politically conservative books carried in the Nelson Current line.

While Nelson has been reducing the number of books it publishes, it will continue to emphasize its successful brands, such as Max Lucado, John Eldredge, and John Maxwell titles. One very strong brand is the company’s Women of Faith (WOF) division, which comprises 16% of Nelson’s total business. Last year, 422,000 women attended WOF conferences in 31 cities. Hyatt pointed to the impact the WOF brand has for local stores, citing that conference attendees continue to visit stores months later for WOF products.

Nelson is also introducing a new Bible-merchandising program based on research first revealed at ICRS.

Nelson understands “the strategic significance of the CBA retailer,” Hyatt said. He thinks retailers need to understand what advantages they have.

“In my view, it’s selection and breadth of Christian product,” he concluded.

12 | AspiringRetail | September2006

The Official Magazine of CBA