TR AN DI A GR UP he i nd us a ou i ge rti ps at ww w.c hri ti an retailing.c om AUG UST 20 10 $7.00 CHRISTIAN RETAILING Counting down to Christmas Seasonal strategies and key new releases for the holidays, page 38 Still a sound category Retailers tell how they are keeping their music departments alive despite the digital revolution, page 40 READ BY THE SUPPLIERS AND RETAILERS OF THE $4.6 BILLION CHRISTIAN PRODUCTS INDUSTRY ICRS 24 CATEGORY LEADERS 27 BOOK NEWS 30 BOOK REVIEWS 32 PRODUCT BRIEFINGS 38 RETAIL FOCUS 40 ROUNDTABLE 42 INDUSTRY FORUM 46 VIEWPOINT goals together and work Independent retail teamwork means involving customers in ministry, page 42 E-book option for stores sought Industry-wide digital platform planned to help brick-and-mortar retailers A NDY UTCHER ublishing and retail leaders are working on an industry-wide platform for delivering e-books to Christian stores, to help them compete in the growing digital market. The effort began at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) in St. Louis, where the impact of digital publishing on retailers was a major focus of the June 27-30 event. The initiative, which could provide a way for Christian retailers to make e-books available to their shoppers online or in-store, will likely center on collaborating with some existing service, rather than creating a new system. DIGITAL, page 18 A panel discussion at the International Christian Retail Show in St. Louis urged retailers to learn lessons from how the music industry handled the digital shift. MOVIES show finds summerlevel new convention Attendance flat, mood up for resized CBA A NDY UTCHER tors for 2010 totaled 322, compared to 299 a year ago. Details of how many stores were The CBA trade show under new leader- represented at the show were not available ship ended with a sense of satisfaction from at press time. The audited numbers released last organizers and many attendees. month were slightly down on Occupying the smallest initial end-of-show that space in recent years, the resized had reported a small upswing, International Christian Retail but CBA Executive Director Show (ICRS) at the Curtis Riskey was still pleased. Center in St. Louis, June 27The results were particularly 30, saw total attendance of good when considered in the 4,647, 2% down on the 4,744 light of the average 16% drop in Denver. in attendance reported across But professional attenother retail trade shows, he active said. 1,593, almost level though total numbers with last 1,605, while in- Curtis Riskey are down compared to a few ternational visitors numbered 371, a rise of 4.5% on 354. page 20 Spotlight falls on family-entertainment New releases supported by retailer ratings and screenings A NDY UTCHER Rising interest in inspirational movies saw them the hot category of the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) from a central and headlining spot on the to the main, special-event draw. CBA created a Family Entertainment Theatre mini-auditorum in the exhibit hall to showcase forthcoming releases and hosted a special reception for media to highlight faith while trailers looped on convention in-house channels and advance screenings dominated the after-hours evening offerings. Among the new titles being promoted were Films/Sony Soul Surfer, about teen Christian star Bethany Hamilton, and A Christmas Snow, a debut movie project from Destiny Image Films in collaboration with the Narrative Television Network and Trost MovStephen Kendrick ing Pictures. Meanwhile, retailers learned that they will have to wait longer than they were hoping for the next release from the team whose best-selling Facing the Giants and Fireproof latter also proMOVIES, page 20 ER SP ECTI VE A good tomato and some rotten ones A NDY UTCHER Christian Retailing DITOR No surprise, perhaps, that a vegetable is the one to remind us that the salad days are over. Bob the least the man who voices him, Phil this International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) from the start. Speaking at the opening Pacesetter event, PERSPECTIVE, page 46 PHOTO COURTESY CBA