Comics Retailers Are Optimistic Despite Market Changes, Sales Declines

Despite a drop in sales in 2017 and store closings, the mood was mostly upbeat at the 2018 Diamond Retailer summit, held April 6-8 in conjunction with the C2E2 pop culture convention in Chicago. Many retailers indicated to PW that they are beginning to see a slight upturn in sales in recent months.

But this comes after a year in which sales were down in every category. According to figures released by Diamond Comics Distributors—which distributes comics and graphic novels to a network of about 2,000 specialty comics shops around the country—periodical comics sales were down 10% in 2017 compared to 2016, graphic novels declined 9% and the number of direct market stores served by Diamond slipped about 1%.

The 1% drop in comics shops serviced by Diamond is the first time the number of stores has declined in several years, noted Chris Powell, Diamond’s v-p of retailer sales. Over the last six months, the comics industry has been rocked by the closing of several long running stores, most notably Meltdown Comics in Los Angeles, which closed its door at the end of March.

Still, the reasons for store closing aren’t always just bad sales, according to several retailers. Some older store owners have decided to move on; at least one retailer closed his physical store after a health issue; others have converted to mail order only. The current period, many attendees noted, seems like the end of a cycle in the comics market, a disruptive trend projected by Milton Griepp, CEO of trade news site ICv2.com, at his annual conference at New York Comic Con two years ago.

Despite the winds of change, Powell said there are positive developments. “With a lot of good publisher [title] announcements, retailers see a solid second half of the year ahead and we actually do have people who are looking at expansion,” he told PW.
more at:  https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/comics/article/76598-comics-retailers-are-optimistic-despite-market-changes-sales-declines.html

Related Posts

Nordstrom making Election Day a holiday (chainstoreage.com)

Nordstrom wants to ensure that its employees have the time to vote on Nov. 3. The department store retailer is making Election Day a holiday for all its U.S. employees. While Nordstrom stores and operations centers will remain open, the company will work with employees to set schedules which will enable them to get to the polls. It also will provide its store, fulfillment center, distribution center and call center employees discounted rides to the polls through Lyft. "We believe every voice matters and our country is stronger when we all participate in the democratic process," said Pete Nordstrom, president and chief brand officer. "This initiative is a direct result of feedback we heard from more than 50,000 Nordstrom employees from all regions of the U.S. They told us they want to be actively engaged in their communities and help find solutions to the challenges we're facing. Enabling them to make their voices heard by voting is a meaningful and productive way we can support our people and our communities."

U.S. Postal Service Reaches Agreement with Treasury on $10 Billion CARES Act Lending Authority

United States Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced today that the United States Postal Service (USPS) has reached an agreement in principle with the United States Department of the Treasury on the terms and conditions associated with $10 billion lending authority provided in the CARES Act. The USPS Board of Governors unanimously approved the agreement in principle yesterday and expects that the parties will formally memorialize the agreement through loan documents that will be jointly developed over the coming weeks. DeJoy expressed his appreciation to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for working with him to reach mutually acceptable terms and conditions. DeJoy said, “Access to an additional $10 billion in borrowing authority will delay the approaching liquidity crisis.”

Savvas Learning Company Earns Eight Top EdTech Awards

Savvas Learning Company, a next-generation K-12 learning solutions leader, is proud to announce that its high-quality learning solutions and innovative digital platform have earned eight edtech industry recognitions by numerous award programs. The enVision K-12 math series, SuccessMaker personalized learning program, and the Savvas Realize learning management system (LMS) are among recent winners of industry recognition. “At Savvas, we are committed to developing the highest-quality instructional solutions that are powered by cutting-edge technology in order to personalize teaching and learning and help all students succeed,” said Bethlam Forsa, CEO of Savvas Learning Company. “We are honored to receive these prestigious awards as they demonstrate the impact of our evidence-based, student-centered learning solutions in helping educators increase student engagement and accelerate academic outcomes.”
Back To Top
×Close search
Search