Student Union, home of the Spartan Bookstore
Media Contacts:
Pat Lopes Harris, pat.harris@sjsu.edu
Karen Gonsor DiScala, KDiScala@bncollege.com
SAN JOSE, CA – Spartan Shops, a non-profit auxiliary of San Jose State University, announced today an agreement with Barnes & Noble College Booksellers to operate Spartan Bookstore. The 10-year contract will transfer management of the bookstore to Barnes & Noble effective April 25.
“The students, faculty and staff on our board studied the situation carefully, and we are confident Barnes & Noble will improve Spartan Bookstore,” said Spartan Shops Executive Director Beth Pugliese. “This agreement will enable us to offer a wider range of products and services at lower prices as well as access to state-of-the-art technology that will enhance the learning experience and streamline textbook adoption for faculty.”
Barnes & Noble has agreed to make a significant investment in building out a new bookstore when the Student Union expansion and renovation project is completed in fall 2013. Meanwhile, the company will make immediate merchandising improvements to the existing 21,000-square-foot space, and then move operations to a temporary campus location in fall 2012 while construction is underway
“We are thrilled to have formed this partnership,” said Max J. Roberts, president, Barnes & Noble College Booksellers. “For us, it’s not just about offering learning materials. We want to help make the students’ educational experience the best it can be and to become a part of the fabric of the San Jose State University community.”
In addition to many new products and services, the bookstore will continue to sell general-interest books, clothing, supplies, gifts, sundries and computers. All current Spartan Bookstore employees will retain their jobs. SJSU is the 13th CSU campus to contract with a bookstore operator, and the sixth campus in the system to select Barnes & Noble. Others include Cal State L.A., Sonoma State, and CSU Bakersfield.
New and Innovative Services
Strategically designed and skillfully executed, the Spartan Bookstore will grow beyond being a center of commerce to play a unique and significant role in the life of SJSU. Barnes & Noble will introduce a number of new and innovative services focused on delivering cost savings and convenience to students. These offerings include the following:
Five percent discount on all new and used textbooks. This will be available every day, in the store and online.
In-store and online textbook rentals. For the first time, students will have the option of getting rentals either online or in the store. Students opting for textbook rentals will save more than 50 percent over the cost of a new printed book. Students will be able to pay rental fees using cash, checks, credit, Gold Points or student financial aid.
Rapidly expanding selection of eTextbooks. In addition to offering savings of up to 60 percent over new printed books, Barnes & Noble’s revolutionary and free Nook Study application serves up eTextbooks in an engaging format that enhances the overall learning experience.
Availability of Nook products including Nook Color. Nook Color is Barnes & Noble’s award winning eReading tablet, providing access to more than two million book and magazine titles in a rich, touch screen, full-color environment.
Generous cash-for-books program. Students with books faculty plan to reuse next semester will be eligible for a 50 percent cash payout, up to needed inventories.
Barnes & Noble is also a leader in the use of social media to connect with students. The Spartan Bookstore will have its own, locally managed Facebook page, FourSquare promotions, and an innovative word-of-mouth marketing program to keep students connected to bookstore products, services and special events.
San Jose State — Silicon Valley’s largest institution of higher learning with 29,000 students and 3,190 employees — is part of the California State University system. SJSU’s 154-acre downtown campus anchors the nation’s 10th largest city.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 775 bookstores in 50 states. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, also operates more than 630 campus bookstores serving nearly 4 million students and over 250,000 faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. For more information, please visit bncollege.com.