STRANG MEDIA GROUP The industry at your fingertips at www.christianretailing.com JUNE 2010 $7.00 CHRISTIAN RETAILING The best of the year Retailers name the new products that have made the most list of winners, page 48 Sounds of Summer Your guide to the big music events and names that could spur in-store sales, page 64 READ BY THE SUPPLIERS AND RETAILERS OF THE $4.6 BILLION CHRISTIAN PRODUCTS INDUSTRY INDUSTRY NEWS 20 VITAL SIGNS 25 BOOK NEWS 32 BOOK REVIEWS 36 TOP 50/50 BOOKS 37 CATEGORY LEADERS 38 PRODUCT BRIEFINGS 44 RCA WINNERS 48 ICRS PROGRAM 52 ICRS EXHIBITORS 58 HEADLINE BOOKS 62 MUSIC FESTIVALS 64 BACKLIST ROUNDTABLE 66 INDUSTRY FORUM 69 MYSTERY SHOPPER 70 VIEWPOINT go where they are Customer service is essential for specialty retailer success, page 70 INDEX Second stores a expansions welcomed for showing how small businesses can out-serve the giants RIC IANSAY Fran Cantwell (right) opened His Word Christian Bookstore in Newark, Ohio, with her daughter-in-law, Amanda Cantwell. espite a still-weak economy, two independent Christian retailers have opened second locations in order to a void and offer to their communities. new head has praised the store expansions as an example of how well-run small businesses can out-serve bigger competitors. Fran Cantwell opened His Word Christian Bookstore in Newark, Ohio, in February. who also owns and operates a store with the same name located approximately 30 miles away in Johnstown, Ohio, where she she felt compelled to open the 900-square-foot store, sandwiched between a pizza shop and a workout facility in a small strip mall. EXPANSION, page 69 Showopportunties championed at The Gathering 2010 spotlights new niches, Growth tions and discussions that were offered in addition to more than a dozen training Retailers and suppliers were in positive workshops. Joe Questel, vice president of busimood when they met to consider key ness development for Symtio, industry trends at The Gaththe digital book distribution ering 2010 in Louisville, Ky., program launch in 2008 by last month. Zondervan to give stores a They saw and heard of toehold in the digital world, new opportunities despite told how it has turned out to the ongoing challenges of the have an unexpected bonus a economy, from digital pubboost in audiobook sales. lishing to a growth category The sale of the in-store for church-based stores. cards that give people codes to E-books and bargain download content for reading books were spotlighted as or listening was helping meet areas in which stores should Joe Questel the for consider investing during lunchtime Food-for-Thought presentaGATHERING, page A NDY UTCHER Exclusives are about distinctiveness, not dollars promotions have been widely embraced by stores Exclusive items are broadly popular among Christian retailers, but not everyone agrees on their value or place in the Christian products market. Books are the most popular exclusive product, according to our latest Vital Signs industry survey, followed by gifts, music, Bibles and kids books. Least popular are toys. Most retailers place a higher value on the competitive of exclusives than on the wider margins the items can provide. Almost two in three say that that my store is the number one reason they carry exclusives. BEST EXCLUSIVES BOOKS GIFTS MUSIC BIBLES Follow us: CLICK HERE FOR JOE GATHERING TALK FULL REPORT, page 20 PERSPECTIVE Soft hearts and sharp minds A NDY UTCHER Christian Retailing DITOR You the title in the list of His names that includes Counselor and Prince of Peace, but Jesus would have made a great one. He knew that the real heart of an issue always be caught in stats and graphs, no matter how pretty they were made to look. why He talk about world evangelism but told a story about PERSPECTIVE, page 70 KIDS BOOKS